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No juvenile arterial hypertension in sheep multiples despite reduced nephron numbers

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Abstract

Low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction and arterial hypertension in later life. Because of their reduced birth weight twins have been used repeatedly as a natural model to investigate prenatal programming of hypertension. To reveal an early impact of lower nephron endowment on blood pressure, we performed a longitudinal study on lambs from single, twin and triplet pregnancies. The lambs were studied from birth until adulthood, including regular blood analyses, measurements of body weight and blood pressure and post-mortem estimation of glomerular numbers. Relative weight differences between multiples and singletons at birth were −28% for twins and −44% for triplets, respectively. Some lambs showed rapid catch-up growth. Total nephron number of twins and triplets was reduced by 21 and 37% with respect to that of singletons (p < 0.01). However, multiples did not show increased blood pressure within the time frame of this study. No gender-specific effect was observed. Plasma concentrations of creatinine, urea, electrolytes or osmolality also did not differ. Our data indicate that the previously reported postnatal blood pressure differences between sheep multiples and singletons are a time-limited phenomenon. During infancy and adolescence, a reduced nephron number in sheep multiples is neither associated with increased blood pressure nor reflected by plasma parameters.

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Abbreviations

IUGR:

intrauterine growth restriction

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Acknowledgements

We thank H. Bernard, M. Klewer, M. Reutelshöfer, B. Nitzsche and S. Söllner for technical assistance and Prof. Dr. W. Rascher (Children’s Hospital Erlangen) for critical reading of the manuscript.

Statement of financial support

Part of the study was supported by the German Research Foundation (SFB 423, project Z2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s Hospital, University of Erlangen–Nuernberg, Loschgestr. 15, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Anja Mühle, Jörg Dötsch, Kai-Dietrich Nüsken & Holm Schneider

  2. Department of Experimental Medicine I, University of Erlangen–Nuernberg, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Christiane Mühle & Holm Schneider

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Erlangen–Nuernberg, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Christiane Mühle

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Christiane Mühle

  5. Department of Renal Pathology, University of Erlangen–Nuernberg, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Kerstin Amann

  6. Department of Cell Therapy, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany

    Johannes Boltze

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  1. Anja Mühle
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Correspondence to Holm Schneider.

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Anja Mühle and Christiane Mühle contributed equally to this study.

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Mühle, A., Mühle, C., Amann, K. et al. No juvenile arterial hypertension in sheep multiples despite reduced nephron numbers. Pediatr Nephrol 25, 1653–1661 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-010-1512-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-010-1512-3

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