Unilateral chemical ablation of the adrenal gland lowers blood pressure and alleviates target organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

UNLABELLED: Adrenal gland hormones play a critical role in the development and maintenance of hypertension. Adrenal ablation has been used to treat primary aldosteronism but not essential hypertension. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of unilateral adrenal gland ablation in treating spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were subjected to unilateral adrenal ablation with injection of anhydrous ethanol or a sham procedure. Blood pressure was monitored by both tail-cuff plethysmography and telemetry until 6 months after the procedure. Adrenal ablation significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the SHR (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) but not WKY from 4 to 24 weeks after the procedure. Adrenal ablation substantially damaged adrenal cortex and medulla with fibrosis in SHR and WKY rats. The ablation procedure remarkably reduced the levels of renin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, cortisol, noradrenaline, and epinephrine in SHR (all P < 0.05) but not in WKY. Hypokalemia in SHR was significantly improved by adrenal ablation (P < 0.05), while the serum sodium levels were not affected by adrenal ablation in either SHR or WKY rats. Additionally, adrenal ablation improved cardiac, renal, and vascular remodeling and function measured 3 months after the procedure in SHR. In conclusion, the present study shows that ethanol ablation of adrenal gland can effectively lower blood pressure and prevent target organ damage in SHR. These findings suggest that unilateral debulking of the adrenal gland using ethanol ablation is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating hypertension.

METHODS

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were subjected to unilateral adrenal ablation with injection of ethanol or a sham procedure. Blood pressure was monitored for 24 weeks.

RESULTS

Adrenal ablation significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure of SHR but not WKY from 4 to 24 weeks after the procedure.

CONCLUSION

Unilateral debulking of the adrenal gland using ethanol ablation is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating hypertension.