Renal nerves in physiology, pathophysiology and interoception.

Sympathetic efferent renal nerves have key roles in the regulation of kidney function and blood pressure. Increased renal sympathetic nerve activity is thought to contribute to hypertension by promoting renal sodium retention, renin release and renal vasoconstriction. This hypothesis led to the development of catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) for the treatment of hypertension.

Renal interoception in health and disease.

Catheter based renal denervation has recently been FDA approved for the treatment of hypertension. Traditionally, the anti-hypertensive effects of renal denervation have been attributed to the ablation of the efferent sympathetic renal nerves. In recent years the role of the afferent sensory renal nerves in the regulation of blood pressure has received increased attention.

IL-1R Mediated Activation of Renal Sensory Nerves in DOCA-Salt Hypertension.

Background: Clinical trials of renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension have shown a variety of off-target improvements in conditions associated with sympathetic overactivity. This may be due to the ablation of sympathoexcitatory afferent renal nerves, which are overactive under conditions of renal inflammation. Renal IL (interleukin)-1β is elevated in the deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt model of hypertension, and its activity may be responsible for the elevation in afferent renal nerve activity and arterial pressure.

T-cells regulate albuminuria but not hypertension, renal histology, or the medullary transcriptome in the Dahl SSCD247 rat.

In the current study, we took advantage of the loss of protection from hypertension in SS rats to characterize the pathological effects of renal T-cells in isolation from the confounding effects of elevated renal perfusion pressure. Male SS and SS littermates were fed 4.0% NaCl (high salt) diet to induce hypertension.