Antihypertensive effect of dietary calcium loading in angiotensin II-salt rats

To clarify the hypotensive effect of high dietary Ca intake on salt-sensitive hypertension, 7-wk-old Sprague-Dawley rats, 3.15% Na and/or 4.07% Ca diet loaded, were administered 125 ng/ml of angiotensin II (ANG II) intraperitoneally for 12 days. Compared with control rats (mean blood pressure 108 +/- 2 mmHg), ANG II administration caused hypertension (131 +/- 4 mmHg, P less than 0.05). Na loading enhanced the hypertensive effect of ANG II (161 +/- 4 mmHg, P less than 0.01). Dietary Ca loading did not significantly inhibit the pressor effect of ANG II alone (119 +/- 4 mmHg). However, Ca loading suppressed hypertension in ANG II-salt rats (126 +/- 4 mmHg, P less than 0.01). Plasma total catecholamine (norepinephrine + epinephrine) was increased in ANG II-salt rats (176 +/- 14 vs. 290 +/- 23 pg/ml, P less than 0.05), but Ca loading decreased plasma catecholamine (182 +/- 13 pg/ml, P less than 0.05). In contrast, plasma catecholamine was not significantly different between ANG II-treated rats with and without Ca loading. Ca loading increased serum Ca in ANG II rats (10.9 +/- 0.1 vs. 11.7 +/- 0.1 mg/dl, P less than 0.05) but did not do so significantly in ANG II-salt rats (10.8 +/- 0.2 vs. 10.9 +/- 0.1 mg/dl). Thus Ca loading exclusively ameliorated salt-sensitive hypertension, which was induced with ANG II administration and Na loading in rats, probably through suppression of the increased sympathetic activity. In addition, these effects of Ca loading were not mediated through an increased blood level of Ca.