Perinatal taurine supplementation followed by a high sugar diet after weaning alters renal function in adult rats via renin‐angiotensin system

Abstract

This study tests the hypothesis that perinatal taurine supplementation alters adult renal function via the renin‐angiotensin system (RAS). Female Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed normal rat chow and water alone (C) or water containing 3 % taurine (taurine supplementation, TS) from conception until weaning. Then, they received normal rat chow and tap water with (CG, TSG) or without (CW, TSW) 5 % glucose. At 7‐8 weeks of age, renal function at rest and after acute saline load (5 % of body weight) was tested in conscious, restrained female rats with or without an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril treatment. Body weight, heart weight, kidney weight, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate were not significantly different among the eight groups. Although effective renal blood flow did not significantly differ among the groups, TSG displayed higher renal vascular resistance compared to CW, CG, and TSW groups. Further, this TSG's renal vascular resistance was normalized by captopril treatment. Captopril treatment did not alter glomerular filtration rate or sodium and water excretion in the groups. Changes in filtration fractions were similar among the eight groups. Compared to its effect in CW, saline load significantly depressed fractional water excretion in CG and TSW and fractional sodium excretion in CG, TSW, and TSG. These differences were abolished by captopril treatment. The present study indicates that in adult female rats, perinatal taurine supplementation, particularly followed by a high sugar diet after weaning, alters renal excretory function via the RAS.