Sodium Content and Sodium Efflux of Mononuclear Leucocytes From Young Subjects at Increased Risk of Developing Essential Hypertension

Abstract

Mononuclear leucocytes were used as a cellular model for the in vitro measurements of volume, sodium and potassium content, sodium efflux rate constants and absolute sodium efflux in order to assess any cellular changes in young men at increased risk of developing essential hypertension, and to analyze whether any such changes were associated with borderline hypertension and/or heredity. Four groups of subjects were evaluated: 28 normotensive (NTO) and 20 borderline hypertensive (BHO) offspring of hypertensives, 12 borderline hypertensives with normotensive parents (BH) and 28 normotensive subjects with normotensive parents (NT). The cellular sodium/potassium contents of the four groups were not discernibly different. Ouabain insensitive sodium efflux rate constant and corresponding absolute efflux were significantly increased in offspring of hypertensives. Ouabain sensitive absolute sodium efflux was significantly increased in borderline hypertensives (BHO + BH) compared to normotensives (NT + NTO). These results indicate that leucocytes from subjects predisposed to hypertension possess an increased ouabain insensitive sodium transport mechanism and in subjects with borderline hypertension the sodium-potassium pump seems activated.