High‐sucrose diet potentiates hyperaldosteronism and renal injury induced by stress in young adult rats

Abstract Analyze the effect of stress and high‐sucrose diet on serum aldosterone levels and the morphometric characteristics of the kidney in young adult rats. Wistar male rats aged 21 days old weaned were randomly assigned into four groups: control (C), stressed (St), high‐sucrose diet (S30), and chronic restraint stress plus a 30% sucrose diet (St + S30). Rats were fed with a standard chow and tap water ad libitum (C group) or 30% sucrose diluted in water (S30 group) during eight weeks. The St and St + S30 groups were subject to restraint stress (1‐hour daily in a plastic cylinder, 5 days per week), four weeks before euthanasia. At 81 days old, all animals were killed and blood samples and kidneys were collected. Stressed rats had an increase in the serum aldosterone and renal triacylglycerol, a decrease in the area of the renal corpuscle, glomeruli, proximal tubules, and aquaporin 2 expressions with loss of glomeruli. For its part, the high‐sucrose diet decreased the area of the renal corpuscle, glomeruli, and aquaporin 2 expressions in the cortex. The combination of stress and high‐ sucrose diet maintained similar effects on the kidney as the stress alone, although it induced an increase in the creatinine levels and renal glycogen. Our results showed that chronic stress induces hyperaldosteronism and kidney injury. The intake of a high‐sucrose diet may potentiate the renal injury promoted by stress.