Artery Wall Electrolytes in Renal and Dca hypertension1

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Abstract
Aortas of rats with renal hypertension have both a higher Na and a higher K concentration than the aortas of rats which have undergone the same type of kidney operation but remain normotensive. Aortas of these "operated normotensive" rats have a higher K concentration than aortas of normal rats. In a smaller series of rats, aortas of renal hypertensive rats have a 13% lower Mg concentration than normal rats. Aortas of desoxycorticosterone acetate (DCA) hypertensive rats also have a higher Na and a higher K concentration than normal aortas. Thus, the aortas have the same type of chemical alterations in both renal and DCA hypertension. From calculations of "chloride space", no more than a third of the increased Na concentrations in the hypertensive aortas can be explained as an increase in extracellular Na. DCA greatly increases Na and decreases K concentration in rat skeletal muscle. DCA causes a slight increase in brain Na concentration, but produces a considerable increase in brain K concentration. DCA effects a considerable increase in both Na and K concentration in rat aorta. Thus, with regard to electrolyte composition, there is no uniform biological response in all types of cells to DCA administration. Each type of tissue cell must be considered separately. Inferences concerning the electrolyte composition of arteries in DCA hypertension cannot be made from analyses of skeletal muscle.