1. Salt loading accelerates and increases the rise in blood pressure (spSH) in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats, but not in Wistar-Kyoto (WK) rats.

2. In both strains a slight increase in plasma volume was obtained during salt loading.

3. Salt loading caused a distinct increase in plasma noradrenaline concentration in spSH rats, but a slight decrease in WK rats. Plasma adrenaline and dopamine concentrations remained unaffected.

4. Exposure to cold resulted in a more marked stimulation of sympathoadrenal and sympathoneuronal activity in salt-loaded spSH rats than in spSH rats on a normal sodium diet.

5. It is concluded that salt loading results in a further increase of the already elevated sympathetic activity in spSH rats.

Keywords:
adrenaline, dopamine, noradrenaline, plasma volume, salt loading, spontaneously hypertensive rats, sympathetic activity
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© 1980 The Biochemical Society and the Medical Research Society
1980
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