Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.

<h4>Background</h4>Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of endocrine hypertension. The available animal models of PA rely on gene manipulation, thus fail to duplicate the general pathological process of PA in humans. Meriones unguiculatus (MU) has been reported to possess a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mei You, Zongshi Lu, Bowen Wang, Min Liu, Qing Zhou, Li Li, Dan Tong, Yu Zhao, Hexuan Zhang, Zhongping Bai, Lijuan Wang, Tingbing Cao, Peng Gao, Zhencheng Yan, Zhiming Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314943
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850040564975665152
author Mei You
Zongshi Lu
Bowen Wang
Min Liu
Qing Zhou
Li Li
Dan Tong
Yu Zhao
Hexuan Zhang
Zhongping Bai
Lijuan Wang
Tingbing Cao
Peng Gao
Zhencheng Yan
Zhiming Zhu
author_facet Mei You
Zongshi Lu
Bowen Wang
Min Liu
Qing Zhou
Li Li
Dan Tong
Yu Zhao
Hexuan Zhang
Zhongping Bai
Lijuan Wang
Tingbing Cao
Peng Gao
Zhencheng Yan
Zhiming Zhu
author_sort Mei You
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of endocrine hypertension. The available animal models of PA rely on gene manipulation, thus fail to duplicate the general pathological process of PA in humans. Meriones unguiculatus (MU) has been reported to possess a large size of adrenal gland and an elevated ability to save water. In this study, we aimed to confirm whether MU can serve as an ideal animal model of PA.<h4>Methods</h4>Sprague Dawley rats of the same body weight (SD1) or age (SD2) as MU were used as control groups. Blood pressure and serum aldosterone, renin and electrolyte levels were measured, and the oral salt loading test was used as confirmatory test to compare the inhibition level of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) among the three groups. The expression and distribution of CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) were evaluated in the adrenal gland of each group.<h4>Results</h4>MU exhibited typical clinical manifestations of PA, including hypertension, hyperaldosteronism, low renin levels and strong sodium retention and potassium excretion abilities. Compared with control groups, the inhibitory effect of a high-sodium diet on the RAAS was milder in MU, accompanied by significant cardiac dysfunction. The protein expression level and distribution area of CYP11B2 were significantly increased in the adrenal gland of MU.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The current study reveals that MU could serve as an ideal spontaneous PA model. The increased expression and distribution of CYP11B2 stimulate the excessive aldosterone production in a renin-independent manner, leading to a significant increase in blood pressure in MU.
format Article
id doaj-art-7315da2e21c44456a6f90f2cc7c50e31
institution DOAJ
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-7315da2e21c44456a6f90f2cc7c50e312025-08-20T02:56:03ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01202e031494310.1371/journal.pone.0314943Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.Mei YouZongshi LuBowen WangMin LiuQing ZhouLi LiDan TongYu ZhaoHexuan ZhangZhongping BaiLijuan WangTingbing CaoPeng GaoZhencheng YanZhiming Zhu<h4>Background</h4>Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of endocrine hypertension. The available animal models of PA rely on gene manipulation, thus fail to duplicate the general pathological process of PA in humans. Meriones unguiculatus (MU) has been reported to possess a large size of adrenal gland and an elevated ability to save water. In this study, we aimed to confirm whether MU can serve as an ideal animal model of PA.<h4>Methods</h4>Sprague Dawley rats of the same body weight (SD1) or age (SD2) as MU were used as control groups. Blood pressure and serum aldosterone, renin and electrolyte levels were measured, and the oral salt loading test was used as confirmatory test to compare the inhibition level of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) among the three groups. The expression and distribution of CYP11B2 (aldosterone synthase) were evaluated in the adrenal gland of each group.<h4>Results</h4>MU exhibited typical clinical manifestations of PA, including hypertension, hyperaldosteronism, low renin levels and strong sodium retention and potassium excretion abilities. Compared with control groups, the inhibitory effect of a high-sodium diet on the RAAS was milder in MU, accompanied by significant cardiac dysfunction. The protein expression level and distribution area of CYP11B2 were significantly increased in the adrenal gland of MU.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The current study reveals that MU could serve as an ideal spontaneous PA model. The increased expression and distribution of CYP11B2 stimulate the excessive aldosterone production in a renin-independent manner, leading to a significant increase in blood pressure in MU.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314943
spellingShingle Mei You
Zongshi Lu
Bowen Wang
Min Liu
Qing Zhou
Li Li
Dan Tong
Yu Zhao
Hexuan Zhang
Zhongping Bai
Lijuan Wang
Tingbing Cao
Peng Gao
Zhencheng Yan
Zhiming Zhu
Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.
PLoS ONE
title Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.
title_full Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.
title_fullStr Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.
title_full_unstemmed Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.
title_short Meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model.
title_sort meriones unguiculatus serves as a spontaneous primary aldosteronism rodent model
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314943
work_keys_str_mv AT meiyou merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT zongshilu merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT bowenwang merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT minliu merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT qingzhou merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT lili merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT dantong merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT yuzhao merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT hexuanzhang merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT zhongpingbai merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT lijuanwang merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT tingbingcao merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT penggao merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT zhenchengyan merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel
AT zhimingzhu merionesunguiculatusservesasaspontaneousprimaryaldosteronismrodentmodel