Relationship between erythrocyte volume and sodium transport in the Milan hypertensive rat and age-dependent changes

The relationship between differences in red blood cell (RBC) volume and ion transport across the erythrocyte cell membrane were investigated in the Milan Hypertensive (MHS) and Milan Normotensive (MNS) rat strains, under different experimental conditions and during ageing. The results obtained indicate that: the difference in Na+/K+ cotransport between MHS and MNS disappear when the RBC volume of the two strains becomes equal under hypotonic swelling; MHS RBCs are osmotically more fragile than those of MNS, probably because of a different membrane structure rather than a different amount of membrane surface, and the smaller volume and the lower Na+ content of MHS RBCs are maintained throughout the life span, while Na+/K+ pump activity and Na+/K+ cotransport undergo age-dependent changes, related to the development of hypertension. All these findings suggest that a primary abnormality of the cell membrane structure of MHS, probably located in the cytoskeleton, is responsible for the cell functional alterations that we previously demonstrated to be genetically associated with MHS hypertension.