Altered Liver Gene Expression Due to Hypertension and Age in Rats

Abstract

Hypertension and metabolic syndrome, both of which increase with age, are multifactorial disorders. Their etiology is complex, making it challenging to isolate involved genes. This study aimed to characterize the hepatic gene expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at different ages. Blood pressure in SHR was determined by tail-cuff method at one and three months of age. Hepatic RNA was isolated and gene expression was compared using microarrays. Comparison between SHR and normotensive rats revealed significant variation in gene expression: 98 genes were upregulated and 122 were downregulated in SHR; while 88 genes were upregulated and 139 genes were downregulated in age-matched normotensive rats. Furthermore, within the SHR group, 110 genes were found to be upregulated and 168 genes downregulated across different ages. Analyses via the Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways revealed that several genes are potentially implicated in both, hypertension and metabolic syndrome. The results suggest that SHR display variations in gene expression due to aging, and when compared to normotensive rats. These variations could contribute to the development of hypertension and metabolic syndrome. Microarray studies involving older rats are necessary to further validate these findings.