Authors: Sudesh Vasdev Vicki Gill Sushil Parai Veeresh Gadag
Publish Date: 2006/05/10
Volume: 287, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 53-60
Abstract
Low alcohol intake in humans lowers the risk of coronary heart disease and may lower blood pressure In hypertension insulin resistance with altered glucose metabolism leads to increased formation of aldehydes We have shown that chronic low alcohol intake decreased systolic blood pressure SBP and tissue aldehyde conjugates in spontaneously hypertensive rats and demonstrated a strong link between elevated tissue aldehyde conjugates and hypertension in saltinduced hypertensive WistarKyoto WKY rats This study investigated the antihypertensive effect of chronic low alcohol consumption in high salttreated WKY rats and its effect on tissue aldehyde conjugates platelet cytosolic free calcium Ca2 + i and renal vascular changes Animals aged 7 weeks were divided into three groups of six animals each The control group was given normal salt diet 07 NaCl and regular drinking water the high salt group was given a high salt diet 8 NaCl and regular drinking water the high salt + ethanol group was given a high salt diet and 025 ethanol in drinking water After 10 weeks SBP platelet Ca2 + i and tissue aldehyde conjugates were significantly higher in rats in the high salt group as compared with controls Animals on high salt diets also showed smooth muscle cell hyperplasia in the small arteries and arterioles of the kidney Ethanol supplementation prevented the increase in SBP and platelet Ca2 + i and aldehyde conjugates in liver and aorta Kidney aldehyde conjugates and renal vascular changes were attenuated These results suggest that chronic low ethanol intake prevents saltinduced hypertension and attenuates renal vascular changes in WKY rats by preventing an increase in tissue aldehyde conjugates and cytosolic Ca2 + i
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