title: Correlation of glycyrrhetinic acid-like factors (kidney 11beta-HSD2-GALFs) with urinary free cortisol and plasma renin activity in essential hypertension.
abstract: Previously we reported that urinary levels of glycyrrhetinic acid-like factors (11beta-HSD2-GALFs) were increased in a subset of patients with essential hypertension when maintained on a low-Na(+) diet. The present studies were undertaken to correlate changes in urinary GALF levels with urinary free cortisol (UFC) and plasma renin activity (PRA). The amounts of GALFs markedly increased from 7.38 +/- 0.80 to 14.58 +/- 1.94 (P < .0003) in the high/normal renin and from 5.60 +/- 0.77 to 8.39 +/- 1.08 (P < .045) in the low renin patients on a low-Na(+) diet compared with high-Na(+) diet with no effect in the normotensive controls (P < .668). The elevated GALF levels in high/normal renin hypertensives maintained on the low-Na(+) diet strongly correlated with the increased UFC levels and also with PRA; no such correlations were observed with either the normotensive controls or low renin hypertensives. In high/normal renin hypertensives, the elevated 11beta-HSD2-GALFs may have two major functions: increased Na(+) retention by the kidney by allowing cortisol to access the renal mineralocorticoid receptor and increased vascular reactivity by allowing cortisol to access the vascular mineralocorticoid receptor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Brown University Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Syed A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Latif
authors.forename: Ying H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Kofi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abrampah
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Brem
authors.forename: W Reid
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lichtfield
authors.forename: Gordon H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Williams