Effect of Pre‐ and Peri‐natal Feeding of High Salt Diet on Cardio‐Renal Functions of Female Offsprings of Sprague‐Dawley Rats

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of pre- and perinatal high salt diet on the female offsprings of Sprague Dawley rats. Weanling female rats, 6 weeks old, body weight 140 – 190g were fed with normal (0.3%) or high salt diet (HSD) (8% Nacl) for 12 weeks. During the 4th week, males were introduced to cycling proestrous females. Fluid balance was determined from the differences between 24 hours water intake and urine output that was measured during the last week of the experiment. At the end of the experimental period, blood pressure was measured via carotid artery cannulation, Plasma and urinary concentration of electrolytes- (mmol/l) were measured. Plasma nitrite concentration (PNC) – umol/100g protein was determined using Griess assay. Oxidative status of the kidney was determined by measurement of lipid peroxidation (LP), superoxide dismutase (SOD) – mg/ml, catalase – mg/ml and reduced glutathione (GSH) – umol/ml, levels in the kidney homogenates. HSD increased mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) - mmHg, kidney weight index, fluid retention (FR) - ml/24hr, urinary sodium concentration - mmol/l and LP -nmol/ml, in the dams as well as in the offsprings. However, HSD decreased PNC, urinary potassium concentration (UPC), SOD, catalase and GSH in the dams and also in the offsprings. It thus appears that pre and perinatal high salt diet impact on cardiovascular and renal functions of the female offsprings possibly by mechanisms involving oxidative stress and nitric oxide pathway. Acknowledgement: Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN) 03 Mentored Research Award