Gonadectomy abolishes the sexual dimorphism in DOC-salt hypertension in the rat

Following our previous report that development of DOC-salt hypertension is attenuated in female rats, we have now determined the effects of gonadectomy on the pathogenesis of this model of hypertension. Male and female rats were gonadectomized at age three weeks, and the DOC-salt protocol was initiated two weeks later and continued for three weeks. In intact rats, hypertension developed more rapidly and to a higher level in males than in females. By contrast, in gonadectomized rats, there was no sex difference in blood pressure because the development of hypertension was attenuated in males and exacerbated in females. None of these differences could be attributed to differences in either saline consumption or vasopressin release since no differences were found among the groups for either variable. Although the underlying mechanisms are uncertain, our results clearly show that the gonadal hormones affect the development of DOC-salt hypertension in the rat.