Because of the importance of excess salt intake to hypertension and the potential influence of early nutritional experience in determining long-term patterns of consumption, we wish to investigate whether perinatal salt intake produces persistent changes in salt taste preferences, body weight, and blood pressure in rats. Adult female rats will be given diets containing either low, mid, or high amount of sodium chloride during pregnancy and lactation. Their offspring will be tested during development for differences in taste preferences for salty solutions and foods, and in neural taste sensitivity. Electrophysiological responses of taste neurons to sodium and nonsodium solutions will be recorded from rats that have been raised on different salt diets, and in sodium deprived and adrenalectomized rats. Our goal is to determine the nature of taste control mechanisms of salt intake and determine whether these mechanisms underlie the long-term effects of perinatal salt intake on adult taste preferences. Another goal is to determine whether perinatal salt intake produces long-term differences in water balance. The low, mid, and high salt offspring will be tested for their capacities to regulate water balance after either central or peripheral administration of hypertonic saline or angiotensin II. A third goal is to determine whether perinatal salt intake produces long-term differences in body weight. The body weights of the adult low, mid, and high salt offspring will be measured under conditions featuring variety and palatability in the diet. A fourth goal is to determine whether perinatal salt intake influences the susceptibility to dietary-induced changes in blood pressure. The blood pressure responses of the adult low, mid, and high salt rats will be measured after being maintained on a high salt diet either by choice or by necessity. A fifth goal is to determine the relative importance of prenatal versus postnatal salt intake on taste preferences, body weights and blood pressure levels of the adult rats. A final goal is to obtain some information on the relationship between perinatal salt intake and genetic susceptibility to salt-induced hypertension. We will raise Dahl salt sensitive rats, a widely used model of experimental hypertension, on diets either low, mid, or high in salt. The adult offspring will be tested for differences in salt taste preferences, body weight, and blood pressure levels.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL038630-03
Application #
3354926
Study Section
Biopsychology Study Section (BPO)
Project Start
1986-09-01
Project End
1990-06-30
Budget Start
1988-07-01
Budget End
1989-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1988
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Alabama Birmingham
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004514360
City
Birmingham
State
AL
Country
United States
Zip Code
35294
Lundy Jr, R F; Contreras, R J (1997) Temperature and amiloride alter taste nerve responses to Na+, K+, and NH+4 salts in rats. Brain Res 744:309-17
Lundy Jr, R F; Pittman, D W; Contreras, R J (1997) Role for epithelial Na+ channels and putative Na+/H+ exchangers in salt taste transduction in rats. Am J Physiol 273:R1923-31
Minear, M M; Hammack, S E; Lundy Jr, R F et al. (1996) Amiloride inhibits taste nerve responses to NaCl and KCl in Sprague-Dawley and Fischer 344 rats. Physiol Behav 60:507-16
Contreras, R J; Carson, C A; Pierce, C E (1995) A novel psychophysical procedure for bitter taste assessment in rats. Chem Senses 20:305-12
Lundy Jr, R F; Contreras, R J (1995) Tongue adaptation temperature influences lingual nerve responses to thermal and menthol stimulation. Brain Res 676:169-77
Gannon, K S; Contreras, R J (1995) Sodium intake linked to amiloride-sensitive gustatory transduction in C57BL/6J and 129/J mice. Physiol Behav 57:231-9
Lundy Jr, R F; Contreras, R J (1994) Neural responses of thermal-sensitive lingual fibers to brief menthol stimulation. Brain Res 641:208-16
Contreras, R J; Studley, J L (1994) Amiloride alters lick rate responses to NaCl and KCl in rats. Chem Senses 19:219-29
Contreras, R J (1993) High NaCl intake of rat dams alters maternal behavior and elevates blood pressure of adult offspring. Am J Physiol 264:R296-304
Lundy Jr, R F; Contreras, R J (1993) Taste prestimulation increases the chorda tympani nerve response to menthol. Physiol Behav 54:65-70

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