Effects of high fat diet and losartan on renal cortical blood flow using contrast ultrasound imaging.

Effects of high fat diet and losartan on renal cortical blood flow using contrast ultrasound imaging. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2013 Sep 18; Authors: Decleves AE, Rychak JJ, Smith DJ, Sharma K Abstract Obesity-related kidney disease occurs as a result of complex interactions between metabolic and hemodynamic effects. Changes in microvascular perfusion may play a major role in kidney disease; however, these changes are difficult to assess in vivo. Here, we used perfusion ultrasound imaging to evaluate cortical blood flow in a mouse model of high fat induced kidney disease. C57BL/6J mice were randomized to a standard diet (STD) or a high-fat diet (HFD), for 30 weeks, then treated either with Losartan or a placebo for an additional 6 weeks. Non-invasive ultrasound perfusion imaging of the kidney was performed during infusion of a microbubble contrast agent. Blood flow within the microvasculature of the renal cortex and medulla was derived from imaging data. An increase in the time required to achieve full cortical perfusion was observed for HFD mice relative to STD. This was reversed following treatment with losartan. These data were concurrent with an increased glomerular filtration rate in HFD mice compared to STD or HFD-losartan-treated mice. Losartan treatment also abrogated fibro-inflammatory disease, assessed by markers at the protein and messenger level. Finally, a reduction in capillary density was found in HFD mice, and this was revers...
Source: Am J Physiol Renal P... - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Renal Physiol Source Type: research