Metabolomics study of blood pressure salt-sensitivity and hypertension

Background and aims: Identify novel metabolite associations with blood pressure (BP) salt-sensitivity and hypertension.Methods and results: The Genetic Epidemiology Network of Salt Sensitivity (GenSalt) Replication study includes 698 Chinese participants who underwent a 3-day baseline examination followed by a 7-day low-sodium feeding and 7-day high-sodium feeding. Latent mixture models identified three trajectories of blood pressure (BP) responses to the sodium interventions. We selected 50 most highly salt-sensitive and 50 most salt-resistant participants for untargeted metabolomics profiling. Multivariable adjusted mixed logistic regression models tested the associations of baseline metabolites with BP salt-sensitivity. Multivariable adjusted mixed linear regression models tested the associations of BP salt-sensitivity with metabolite changes during the sodium interventions. Identified metabolites were tested for associations with hypertension among 1249 Bogalusa Heart Study (BHS) participants using multiple logistic regression. Fifteen salt-sensitivity metabolites were associated with hypertension in the BHS. Baseline values of serine, 2methylbutyrylcarnitine and isoleucine directly associated with high salt-sensitivity. Among them, serine indirectly associated with hypertension while 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine and isoleucine directly associated with hypertension. Baseline salt-sensitivity status predicted changes in 14 metabolites when switching to low-sodium or high-sodium interventions. Among them, glutamate, 1-carboxyethylvaline, 2-methylbutyrylcarnitine, 3-methoxytyramine sulfate, glucose, alpha-ketoglutarate, hexanoylcarnitine, gamma-glutamylisoleucine, gamma-glutamylleucine, and gamma-glutamylphenylalanine directly associated with hypertension. Conversely, serine, histidine, threonate and 5-methyluridine indirectly associated with hypertension. Together, these metabolites explained an additional 7% of hypertension susceptibility when added to a model including traditional risk factors.Conclusions: Our findings contribute to the molecular characterization of BP response to sodium and provide novel biological insights into salt-sensitive hypertension.(C) 2022 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study identified metabolite associations with salt sensitivity and hypertension, with 15 metabolites linked to hypertension. Changes in these metabolites predicted the occurrence of hypertension, providing insights into the biological mechanisms underlying salt-sensitive hypertension.