Alteration of amiloride-sensitive salt taste nerve responses in aldosterone/NaCl-induced hypertensive rats

- We studied the mechanism of changes of salt taste sensitivity in hypertensive rats.
- Daily sodium intake was high in hypertensive rats.
- Amiloride-sensitive salt taste nerve responses were low in hypertensive rats.
- Gene expression of αENaC in taste papillae was low in hypertensive rats.

Salt taste sensitivity is related to physiological condition, and declined in hypertensive patients. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying changes in salt taste sensitivity during the development of hypertension. This is largely due to lack of an appropriate animal model which shows the decline of salt taste sensitivity caused by hypertension. Previous studies have suggested that one of main causes of salt-sensitive hypertension is dysfunction of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). To examine the involvement of RAAS in modulation of salt taste sensitivity, we utilized aldosterone/NaCl-treated rats as a well-established model of salt-sensitive hypertension caused by RAAS dysfunction. Amount of sodium intake in aldosterone/NaCl-treated rats was higher than that in control rats. In addition to behavioral changes, the amiloride-sensitive salt taste nerve responses in aldosterone/NaCl-treated rats were remarkably lower by approximately 90% than those in the other groups. Moreover, αENaC mRNA expression in the epithelium of circumvallate papillae was significantly low in aldosterone/NaCl-treated rats. Thus, RAAS modulates salt taste system as is case in hypertensive patients. This report is to our knowledge the first to describe an animal model with decline of amiloride-sensitive salt taste nerve responses by RAAS dysfunction-mediated salt-sensitive hypertension.