IMPACT OF DIETARY NA-LIKE FACTORS (KIDNEY 11-BETA-(HSD2)-GALFS) IN HUMAN ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION( ON GLYCYRRHETINIC ACID)

Our previous studies have shown that human urine contains glycyrrhetin ic acid-like factors (GALFs) that possess inhibitory activity against kidney 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase isoform 2 (HSD2). The pres ent studies were undertaken to determine the impact of dietary Na+ int ake on the levels of kidney 11 beta(HSD2)-GALFs. The excretion of kidn ey 11 beta(HSD2)-GALFs in 24-hour urine samples of 30 unmedicated subj ects (10 normotensive and 10 high/normal-renin and 10 low-renin essent ial hypertensive subjects) on both 200- and 10-mmol Na+ diets was stud ied, No differences in the urinary levels of kidney 11 beta(HSD2)-GALF s were observed among the three groups on the high-Na+ diet. However, with a low-Na+ diet, the levels of kidney 11 beta(HSD2)-GALFs were sig nificantly increased in. hypertensive subjects but not in normal subje cts, Levels increased from 8.3+/-1.4 to 17.3+/-2.9 and 6.7+/-1.3 to 10 .6+/-1.4 carbenoxolone sodium units/d in high/normal-renin (P=.01) and low-renin hypertensive subjects (P=.07), respectively; normal subject s changed from 8.0+/-1.9 to 10.6+/-2.4, The levels of kidney 11 beta(H SD2)-GALFs were significantly higher in the high/normal-renin hyperten sive subjects than in either the control normotensive subjects or the low-renin hypertensive subjects when challenged with the low-Na+ diet (P<.05 by Wilcoxon rank-sum test), The greater response of the high/no rmal-renin essential hypertensive subjects indicated that they may uti lize kidney 11 beta(HSD2)-GALFs when challenged with a low-Na+ diet, w hereas the low-renin essential hypertensive subjects do not.