Oral calcium treatment lowers blood pressure in renovascular hypertensive rats by suppressing the renin-angiotensin system

The effects of calcium supplementation on blood pressure and its mechanisms were investigated in two-kidney, one clip renovascular hypertensive rats. Two series of experiments were performed: one was begun just after renal artery constriction, the other after the onset of hypertension. Calcium supplementation significantly attenuated the development of hypertension (systolic blood pressure: 183 +/- 8 vs 130 +/- 2 mm Hg) and was found to abate existing renovascular hypertension (systolic blood pressure: from 183 +/- 8 to 151 +/- 4 mm Hg). Calcium treatment did not cause significant alterations in fluid intake, urine volume, or urinary sodium excretion in either study. However, increased plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration were suppressed to the basal levels at the end of 3 weeks of calcium treatment (14 +/- 3 vs 8 +/- 2 ng angiotensin I/ml/hr; 530 +/- 50 vs 380 +/- 40 pg/ml). Blood pressure of calcium-treated renovascular hypertensive rats responded poorly to blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with captopril injection and angiotensin II analogue (saralasin) infusion. Further, in rats with chronic established renovascular hypertension, calcium treatment attenuated the enhanced pressor response to norepinephrine, but not to angiotensin II. These results suggest that the blood pressure-lowering actions of calcium supplementation are related primarily to suppression of renin secretion and secondarily to alteration of pressor response to norepinephrine in two-kidney, one clip renovascular hypertensive rats.