GENETIC-HYPERTENSION IN RATS IS PARTIALLY DEPENDENT ON THE PARATHYROID-GLANDS - RESULTS OF A CROSSED TRANSPLANTATION EXPERIMENT

The parathyroid hyper-tensive factor (PHF) is present in the plasma of SHR rats. The authors of this study set out to determine whether this factor was also present in the Lyon (LH male and female) and Milan (M HS male) hypertensive rats. Five week old normotensive rats (LN and MN S) were transplanted with the parathyroid glands of LH and MHS rats im mediately after parathyroidectomy (PTX). Plasma calcium fell rapidly a fter PTX but returned to physiological levels, confirming the function al activity of the graft. Systolic blood pressures of transplanted rat s were significantly higher than normotensive LN and MNS controls. The se results confirm the role of the parathyroid glands in the genesis o f hypertension in Lyon and Milan male and female rats. They suggest th at PHF may be implicated in the hypertensive mechanisms of these two m odels of genetic hypertension.