Abstract P341: Age Differences In The Impact Of Dietary Salt On Blood Pressure In Male Rats

Abstract

Background: The role of dietary salt intake in the modulation of blood pressure (BP) levels is crucial, yet difficult to regulate experimentally in humans due to ethical considerations. Previous research has primarily focused on the impact of exceptionally high salt diets on BP, which lacks clinical relevance due to the extreme nature of such diets. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of moderate-high salt diets on BP levels and BP variability, and whether there are age differences. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (young adult, 3 months; and aged 22-24 months old) were subjected to either a control diet containing 0.4% NaCl (sodium chloride) or moderate-high salt diets containing 1% NaCl for 12 weeks. BP levels and BP variability (BPV) were measured repeatedly at baseline, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the onset of the diet. Blood sodium (Na+) was measured at the endpoint. Results: Our preliminary results indicated that aged rats demonstrated an increase in blood sodium levels when subjected to the moderate-high salt diet, a change that was not observed in the young adult rats. Both the young adult and aged rats displayed an increase in systolic BP levels in response to the moderate-high salt diet. However, there were no significant alterations noted in systolic BPV across both age groups. Neither diastolic BP levels nor diastolic BPV showed any significant variation in response to the moderate-high salt diet in both the young adult and aged rat groups. Conclusions: This study suggested age differences in the effects of a moderate-high salt diet on BP levels but not BP variability in male rats. Funding Sources: This research was funded by the START-UP FUNDING OF HANGZHOU NORMAL UNIVERSITY, grant number 4255C50221204123 (Dr. Fen Sun).