Effect of salt-induced hypertension on microvascular pressures in skeletal muscle of Dahl rats.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of salt-induced hypertension on the microvascular pressure profile in skeletal muscle. Measurements were made in the spinotrapezius muscle of anesthetized Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats fed either a high- (7%) or low-normal (0.45%)-NaCl diet for 4 wk. Age-matched Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats on high- or low-normal salt diets were also studied. The high-salt diet had no effect on either arterial or microvascular pressures in DR rats. DS rats maintained on high salt developed arterial hypertension accompanied by a pressure increase of 49% in the feed arterioles and 31% in the transverse arterioles. Hypertensive DS rats exhibited a greater pressure drop across the small arteries, arcade arterioles, and distal arterioles, indicating that each of these segments contributes to increased whole organ resistance. Pressures in the collecting and draining venules were not elevated in DS on 7% NaCl, suggesting that increased precapillary resistance in salt-induced hypertension effectively shields the skeletal muscle capillary and venular networks from high hydrostatic pressures.