|
|
||||||||
INVITED REVIEW
1Department of Medicine and Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and 2Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York
High salt consumption contributes to the development of hypertension and is considered an independent risk factor for vascular remodeling, cardiac hypertrophy, and stroke incidence. In this review, we discuss the molecular origins of primary sensors involved in the phenomenon of salt sensitivity. Based on the analysis of literature data, we conclude that the kidneys and central nervous system (CNS) are two major sites for salt sensing via several distinct mechanisms: 1) [Cl–] sensing in renal tubular fluids, primarily by Na+-K+-Cl– cotransporter (NKCC) isoforms NKCC2B and NKCC2A, whose expression is mainly limited to macula densa cells; 2) [Na+] sensing in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by a novel isoform of Na+ channels, Nax, expressed in subfornical organs; 3) sensing of CSF osmolality by mechanosensitive, nonselective cation channels (transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channels), expressed in neuronal cells of supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei; and 4) osmolarity sensing by volume-regulated anion channels in glial cells of supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. Such multiplicity of salt-sensing mechanisms likely explains the differential effects of Na+ and Cl– loading on the long-term maintenance of elevated blood pressure that is documented in experimental models of salt-sensitive hypertension.
sodium; chloride; osmolality; plasma; tubular fluid; cerebrospinal fluid; salt intake
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. C. Geerling and A. D. Loewy Aldosterone in the brain Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, September 1, 2009; 297(3): F559 - F576. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Y. Bagrov, J. I. Shapiro, and O. V. Fedorova Endogenous Cardiotonic Steroids: Physiology, Pharmacology, and Novel Therapeutic Targets Pharmacol. Rev., March 1, 2009; 61(1): 9 - 38. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
F. Gao, D. Sui, R. M. Garavito, R. M. Worden, and D. H. Wang Salt Intake Augments Hypotensive Effects of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4: Functional Significance and Implication Hypertension, February 1, 2009; 53(2): 228 - 235. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |