Hypertension transmitted by kidneys from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

We determined whether transplantations of kidneys from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SPSHR) and from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) alter blood pressure in renal graft recipients. Kidneys taken from seven male SPSHR and seven male WKY rats (blood pressure 186 +/- 4.8 and 111 +/- 3.7 mmHg, respectively) at the age of 20 wk were transplanted, using microsurgical techniques, to bilaterally nephrectomized age-matched male F1 hybrids (blood pressure 136 +/- 2.6 and 138 +/- 6.3 mmHg, respectively) bred from SPSHR and WKY parents. After renal transplantation, blood pressure in recipients of SPSHR kidneys rose to 146 +/- 11.8 (week 2), 163 +/- 16.4 (week 3), 192 +/- 17.1 (week 4), 222 +/- 17.7 (week 5), 221 +/- 12.6 (week 6), 218 +/- 20.3 (week 7), and 239 +/- 9.2 mmHg (week 8). There was no significant change in blood pressure in recipients of WKY kidneys. All rats recovered rapidly from surgery. After renal transplantation, there was a significant increase in daily water intake, a decrease in plasma renin activity, and a slight rise in plasma urea concentration. Our data show that transplantation of kidneys from adult SPSHR causes hypertension in normotensive recipients, indicating a major function for the kidney in SPSHR hypertension.