The exaggerated salt-sensitive response in hypertensive transgenic rats (TGR mRen-2) fostered by a normotensive female.

Suboptimal conditions during prenatal and early postnatal development can increase risk of hypertension later in life. We studied consequences of a changed perinatal environment by initiating the cross-fostering of homozygous Ren-2 transgenic rat (TGR) offspring to normotensive, transgene-negative control mothers, and vice versa. We hypothesized that cross-fostering to a normotensive female can attenuate the development of malignant hypertension in TGR offspring (TGRx) and change their salt-sensitive response. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored by the telemetry system under normal salt intake, and BP responses to increased salt intake in the phase of established hypertension. Under normal salt conditions, BP was not markedly different in cross-fostered animals compared with controls. However, BP responses to 2% salt intake led to a stronger BP response in TGRx during the active phase when compared with the control TGR group. The TGRx also exhibited increased albuminuria, lower sodium excretion, and creatinine clearance under higher salt intake compared with control salt intake. Higher salt intake resulted in a significant increase of aldosterone concentrations only in the TGRx group; moreover, TGRx rats exhibited more pronounced renal injury compared with controls. In conclusion, our data indicate that cross-fostering in TGR not only did not attenuate the development of hypertension but, on the contrary, led to the deterioration of BP regulation, particularly due to exaggerated salt sensitivity and sodium retention in TGRx. Results underline the important role of the mother during lactation in postnatal development of the offspring, since these changes reflected different ion content in milk of a particular strain of rats.