Urinary Proteome Characterization of Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Hypertension is a multifactorial and complex disease influenced by genetic and environmental factors, and it has become one of the most serious public health challenges. This study aimed to investigate the changes in hypertension based on urinary proteome. The stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs) model was used to examined urinary proteome changes during the development of hypertension. Urine proteome profiling was conducted at months 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, and 14 using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Given that the progression of hypertension may vary among individuals, each rat was compared before and after hypertension developed to screen for differential proteins. Differential proteins in each rat can be enriched into some important biological processes and pathways associated with hypertension, such as the regulation of systemic arterial blood pressure by renin-angiotensin, renin-angiotensin signaling, response to glucocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptor signaling, calcium transport I, aldosterone adipocyte signaling pathway, apelin adipocyte signaling pathway, and oxidative stress response. The biological processes and pathways enriched at the same time point in the progression of hypertension differed significantly among different rat individuals. This study demonstrated that the changes in hypertension can be reflected in urine proteins. Urinary proteomics has potential in researching the mechanisms underlying hypertension, discovering new drug targets, and developing personalized strategies for antihypertensive treatment.