Recently, the effectiveness of renal sympathetic nerve
denervation for treatment of
hypertension has been doubted after SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial. An ideal animal model is still unavailable for preclinical study about
catheter-based renal sympathetic nerve
denervation for treatment of
hypertension. Traditional high-dose
deoxycorticosterone acetate (
DOCA)-induced
hypertension pig model has some problems due to extensive end-organ damage. Based on the similarity in the anatomic characteristics of renal artery between pigs and humans, this study was undertaken to establish a low-dose sustained-release
DOCA-induced
hypertension model in pigs. A total of 14 pigs were subcutaneously implanted with low-dose
DOCA in the abdomen and cannulated from the femoral artery for the measurement of blood pressure (BP). Plasma
angiotensin I (Ang I),
angiotensin II (Ang II), plasma
renin activity (PRA),
aldosterone (Ald),
creatinine,
epinephrine, and
norepinephrine (NE) were determined before and
after treatments. The kidneys were collected and processed for
hematoxylin and
eosin staining, Masson-Goldner trichromic, and
periodic acid Schiff staining. Ten pigs survived for 1 month. Mean BP significantly increased after 2-week treatment (P < .001). The plasma Ang I, Ang II, PRA, and Ald significantly decreased (Ang I: 6.92 ± 6.06 vs. 2.22 ± 3.08, P = .002; Ang II: 768.85 ± 525.8 vs. 213.76 ± 148.63, P = .003; PRA: 1.68 ± 1.67 vs. 0.29 ± 0.39, P = .008; Ald: 0.37 ± 0.12 vs. 0.25 ± 0.09, P < .001), but
norepinephrine significantly increased (7.59 ± 4.57 vs. 16.96 ± 10.38, P = .021). Plasma
creatinine remained unchanged. Hisotological examination showed mild damage to the kidney. Low-dose sustained-release
DOCA is able to induce
hypertension in pigs. A femoral
catheter is not only helpful for monitoring BP, but can be used to quickly exchange the renal sympathetic nerve
denervation equipment.