Background: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been implicated in the progression of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. However, the role of TLR4 in the development of prehypertension is uncertain.
Methods: Prehypertensive rats were treated with 8% salt for 12 weeks to induce prehypertension. These rats were then given either TAK-242 selective TLR4 blocker, or vehicle by bilateral micro-injection to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Blood pressure (BP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity were recorded. PVN expression of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65, proinflammation cytokines (PICs), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 2 (NOX2), NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) level, tyrosine hydroxylase, and 67 kDa isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD67) were tested to determine the influence of TLR4 blockade.
Results: TLR4 expression increased significantly in the PVN of high-salt groups with a corresponding increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and PICs. TLR4 blockade significantly reduced the signaling molecules downstream TLR4 and the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, decreased ROS, NOX2, NOX4 level, increased Cu/Zn-SOD, re-balanced neurotransmitters, and regulated sympathetic nerve activity in the PVN of prehypertensive rats.
Conclusions: Salt-induced prehypertension is partly due to the upregulation of TLR4 in PVN. Blockade of TLR4 in the brain reduced salt-induced prehypertension response, possibly through downregulation of ROS and PICs expression, and the restorage of neurotransmitter balance in the PVN.