The Electrolytes of Arterial Wall in Experimental Renal Hypertension

Abstract

In rats with renal hypertension, smooth muscle cells in the wall of the aorta appear to have more water, sodium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus per unit of cell solids than similar cells in normotensive rats. When the blood pressure of a few hypertensive rats dropped to normal as a result of a low sodium diet, the potassium and phosphorus in the arterial cells also appeared to decrease to normal levels. These studies give indications of the compositional changes in arterial smooth muscle cells that are associated with renal hypertension.