The findings support earlier work by the researchers showing that propofol has greater impact on vascular smooth muscle in the hypertensive salt-sensitive Dahl rats compared to the normotensive Brown Norway rats, and that chromosome 13-associted genes are responsible for variable responses to propofol.

The Dahl salt-sensitive strain develops severe hypertension when fed a high-salt diet. This salt-sensitive characteristic is similar to what is often seen in African Americans with high blood pressure. This Dahl rat model is used to better understand the causes and mechanisms behind the development of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in this population.

Additional investigators that participated in the study include: Stephen J. Contney, M.S., Dorothee Weihrauch, Ph.D., and Zeljko J. Bosnjak, Ph.D., all researchers from the departments of physiology and anesthesiology at the Medical College.

Source: Medical College of Wisconsin