Renal denervation abolishes hypertension in low-birth-weight offspring from pregnant rats with reduced uterine perfusion

Low birth weight is a risk factor for the subsequent development of hypertension in humans. We previously reported that reduced uterine perfusion in the pregnant rat results in growth-restricted offspring predisposed to the development of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the sympathetic nervous system plays a role in mediating hypertension in this model of low birth weight. Weight at birth was significantly decreased in male growth-restricted offspring (5.9 +/- 0.1 grams) as compared with male control offspring (6.5 +/- 0.2 grams; P < 0.05). At 10 weeks of age, growth-restricted offspring and control offspring were randomly assigned to either an intact group (sham-denervated) or a group subjected to bilateral renal denervation. For sham-denervated offspring, mean arterial pressure was significantly elevated in growth-restricted offspring (145 +/- 4 mm Hg; n = 7) as compared with control offspring (134 +/- 3 mm Hg; P < 0.05; n = 9) at 12 weeks of age. Bilateral renal denervation resulted in a marked reduction in arterial pressure in growth-restricted offspring (125 +/- 3 mm Hg; P < 0.01; difference of 20 mm Hg versus sham growth-restricted; n = 8) but no significant decrease in control offspring (127 +/- 3 mm Hg; difference of 7 mm Hg versus sham control; n = 9). Adequacy of renal denervation was verified by >90% reduction in renal norepinephrine content. Therefore, these findings indicate the renal nerves play an important role in mediating hypertension in adult growth-restricted offspring.