Electrolyte and juxtaglomerular changes in adrenal regeneration hypertension

Abstract

One week after adrenal enucleation in rats skeletal muscle and serum electrolytes followed a pattern similar to adrenal insufficiency. However, at the 2nd week of adrenal regeneration there was a marked shift of sodium into and potassium out of skeletal muscle cells which persisted through the 8th week. These cation shifts correlated with increases in blood pressure and renal and heart weights. Increased sodium and decreased potassium in skeletal muscle cells and increased blood pressure and increased renal and heart weights were potentiated by saline feeding and failed to occur with adrenal regeneration in the hepatic portal circulation. Juxtaglomerular granular cells were examined in rats killed at 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after adrenal enucleation. No evidence was found to indicate a change which would be expected to initiate a blood pressure rise and the degranulation observed was interpreted as the result rather than the cause of the blood pressure change.