Effect of dietary calcium on the development of hypertension and hypertensive vascular lesions in doca-salt and two-kidney, one clip hypertensive rats

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effect of modest changes in dietary calcium on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and myocardial and renal vascular lesions in Sprague-Dawley rats. Design: Regular- (0.4%, by weight), high- (0.8%) or low-calcium (0.24%) diets were fed to normotensive control, deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt and two-kidney, one clip (2-K, 1C) hypertensive rats for 8 weeks. Methods: Tail-cuff SBP and metabolic balance were measured once a week. At the end of the study the kidneys and hearts were collected for histological study. Results: Dietary calcium had no effect on SBP in the DOCA-salt rats, but loading with calcium accelerated the rise in SBP in 2-K, 1C rats (P < 0.01, high- ..