Toll-like Receptor 4 Promotes Salt-Sensitivity in Dahl SS Rats: An Investigation into the Mechanism
Authors: Burns Emily , Dasinger John Henry , Cherian-Shaw Mary , Walton Samuel , Baldwin Kaitlyn , Abais-Battad Justine , Mattson David 
Published: May 2024

Renal inflammation accompanies hypertension and renal damage in Dahl Salt-Sensitive (SS) rats fed a high salt diet (HS, Dyets AIN-76A 4.0% NaCl). Previous studies demonstrated that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a component of innate immune activation, is upregulated in macrophages infiltrating the kidneys of Dahl SS rats fed high salt. Preliminary studies in our laboratory indicated that mean arterial pressure (MAP) (SS: 162.5 ± 4.9 vs. SSTLR4−/−: 147.1 ± 3.5 mmHg, p<0.0001, n=10/group) and albuminuria (321.3 ± 62.7 vs. 170.6 ± 27.1 mg/day, p<0.05, n=10/group) were significantly reduced in male Dahl SS TLR4 knockout rats (SSTLR4−/−) compared to male SS after three weeks of HS. Furthermore, peritoneal macrophages isolated from SSTLR4−/− produce significantly less IL-1β compared to SS macrophages upon stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) . Since TLR4 is widely expressed in many tissues, we examined the specific effects of TLR4 deletion in immune cells via a total body irradiation/bone marrow transfer approach. The present study tested the hypothesis that TLR4 deletion specifically in hematopoietic cells would attenuate male Dahl SS hypertension and renal damage. At 6 weeks of age, Dahl SS male recipients were irradiated (11Gy) then received either SS or SSTLR4−/− bone marrow transplantation via tail vein injection (~15-20 million cells). Following recovery, rats (maintained on a low salt chow (LS, Dyets AIN-76A 0.4% NaCl)) underwent telemeter implantation at approximately 8 weeks of age for continuous monitoring of blood pressure. Animals were switched to HS following recovery and baseline blood pressure recordings. Urine samples were collected once during the LS period and weekly throughout a 3-week HS challenge. Upon euthanasia, kidneys were flushed and harvested for analysis. MAP was not found to be different between groups during the LS baseline period (SS: 113.4 ± 1.6 vs. SSTLR4−/−: 116.5 ± 2.3 mmHg, n=5-6/group), and our preliminary data also revealed that MAP was not different between groups throughout the high salt challenge (HS day 20: 136.4 ± 10.5 vs 144.8 ± 9.2). Urinary albumin excretion was also not found to be different between rats receiving either SS or TLR4−/− bone marrow transfer (165.2 ± 38.5 vs. 247.9 ± 58.7 mg/day, n=7/group). Furthermore, assessment of BUN at the conclusion of the experiment revealed no differences (33.0 ± 6.1 vs. 29.3 ± 3.2 mg/dL, n=7/group). Immune cells were isolated from the blood and kidneys of these animals and characterized by flow cytometric analysis. There was no difference in the number of circulating leukocytes or lymphocytes (2.1x106 vs. 2.3x106 CD45+ cells per mL blood, n=6-7/group) indicating comparable reconstitution of immune cells in both groups. We also found no difference in renal infiltrating leukocytes or lymphocytes (3.1 x106 vs. 3.2x106 CD45+ cells per kidney, n=7/group). Together, these data contrast the effects of whole-body TLR4 knockout and suggest that TLR4 in hematopoietic cells may not be responsible for promoting Dahl SS hypertension and renal damage in males. Further studies are needed to assess the inflammatory status of immune cells from these animals as well as alternative TLR4-expressing cell types responsible for promoting disease. 23PRE1020121, HL161231, HL166458. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.