Key result
Renal denervation fails to prevent diet-induced hypertension and renal damage in preclinical model.
Why the study?
The role of renal sympathetic denervation in the development of metabolic and renal alterations in metabolic syndrome remained unclear.
Does bilateral renal denervation prevent the onset of hypertension and renal alterations in male Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet?
Does bilateral renal denervation prevent the onset of hypertension and renal alterations in male Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet?
In a rat model of metabolic syndrome, prolonged high-fat diet induces hypertension and renal complications independently of renal sympathetic innervation.
Does not support renal denervation to prevent diet-induced hypertension; leaves open autonomic-independent mechanisms in metabolic models.
Increased sympathetic tone and hypertension are hallmarks of metabolic syndrome and contribute to chronic kidney disease. Although renal sympathetic denervation transiently lowers blood pressure, its role in the development of metabolic and renal alterations remains unclear. Here, we evaluated the contribution of renal sympathetic input to the onset and progression of high-fat diet–induced alterations. Male Wistar rats underwent bilateral renal denervation before metabolic challenge and were fed a standard or high-fat diet for 8 or 12 wk. High-fat feeding induced hypertension, proteinuria, increased angiotensin II, and reduced creatinine clearance, urinary flow, and potassium excretion, independently of denervation. Renal norepinephrine content confirmed effective denervation and was not affected by diet. Denervation attenuated ketonuria in high-fat diet–fed rats. The phosphorylation of AKT, PI3K, and ERK1/2 in the kidney was modulated by interactions among diet, renal sympathetic input, and time. These findings indicate that renal sympathetic nerves contribute to early stages of metabolic dysregulation, whereas prolonged hypercaloric exposure overrides autonomic control and promotes cardiovascular and renal complications.
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Flores-Sandoval et al. (2026) studied Metabolic syndrome and hypertension. Bilateral renal denervation vs. Standard diet or intact innervation was evaluated on Onset of hypertension and metabolic/renal alterations. Bilateral renal denervation failed to prevent high-fat diet-induced hypertension and renal alterations in male rats, indicating that prolonged hypercaloric exposure overrides autonomic control.
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