[Animal modeling] - Establishment of salt sensitive hypertensive mouse model

  Objective To establish a salt sensitive hypertensive mouse model and validate the model with nifedipine.

  Methods C57BL/6J mice were used as the research object. The normal group fed with conventional diet, the high salt group fed with high salt diet and the intervention group fed with nifedipine after high salt diet were set respectively. The changes of blood pressure were measured with a non-invasive blood pressure measurement system; The liver function, kidney function, blood lipid, blood glucose and ions in serum of mice were measured by blood biochemical analyzer; Histological changes of liver, kidney and carotid artery in mice were observed by hematoxylin eosin staining.

  Results Compared with the normal mice, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the mice in the high salt group increased significantly (P<0.01), while the blood pressure of the mice in the intervention group decreased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with the normal group, the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total serum protein and direct bilirubin, as well as cholesterol, uric acid, calcium ion and magnesium ion, as indicators of blood lipid, renal function in the high salt group mice had significant changes (all P<0.05), while the intervention group gradually recovered. Histopathology showed that the liver and kidney of mice in the high salt group were damaged to varying degrees.

  Conclusion High salt diet can successfully establish a salt sensitive hypertensive mouse model, and nifedipine can effectively reduce blood pressure in the model mice.