Quantifying salt sensitivity
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Hans Oberleithner
Hans Oberleithner received his MD at the University Innsbruck. After several years of research at Yale University, he was appointed Professor of Physiology, University of Würzburg, and later took up a chair in Physiology at the University of Münster. His research is focused on cellular processes at nanoscale. He was a member of the IZKF from 1998 to 2004.
Abstract
Inner surfaces of blood vessels and outer surfaces of erythrocytes are coated with a negatively charged protective film of proteoglycans, which serves as an effective buffer system for the positively charged sodium ions. If this protective coating is poorly developed or impaired, it loses its buffering capacity. As a consequence, the organism becomes increasingly sensitive to sodium, which in the long run leads to organ damage, especially if daily salt consumption is high. Recently, it has become possible to quantify salt sensitivity using a technically simple method – the salt blood test (SBT). Aim of this mini-review is to explain the physiological concept underlying the SBT and its potential practical relevance in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Funding source: Interdisziplinare Zentrum für Klinische Forschung (IZKF)
About the author
Hans Oberleithner received his MD at the University Innsbruck. After several years of research at Yale University, he was appointed Professor of Physiology, University of Würzburg, and later took up a chair in Physiology at the University of Münster. His research is focused on cellular processes at nanoscale. He was a member of the IZKF from 1998 to 2004.
Acknowledgements
I thank Professor Kristina Kusche-Vihrog (University of Lübeck, Germany) for her long-standing collaboration in the field of endothelial glycocalyx research.
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Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
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Research funding: The support by funds of the “Interdisziplinare Zentrum für Klinische Forschung (IZKF)” is gratefully acknowledged.
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Highlight: Molecular Determinants of Health and Disease - 25th Anniversary of the InterdisciplinaryCenter Clinical Research Münster
- Molecular determinants of health and disease
- Role of the gut microbiota in airway immunity and host defense against respiratory infections
- Dynamic phospho-modification of viral proteins as a crucial regulatory layer of influenza A virus replication and innate immune responses
- Molecular mechanisms of vasculopathy and coagulopathy in COVID-19
- Astrocytic potassium and calcium channels as integrators of the inflammatory and ischemic CNS microenvironment
- Epitranscriptomic modifications in acute myeloid leukemia: m6A and 2′-O-methylation as targets for novel therapeutic strategies
- Molecular determinants of therapy response of venetoclax-based combinations in acute myeloid leukemia
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus virulence factors as biomarkers of infection
- Controllers of cutaneous regulatory T cells: ultraviolet radiation and the skin microbiome
- The paracaspase MALT1 in psoriasis
- The cAMP responsive element modulator (CREM) is a regulator of CD4+ T cell function
- Quantifying salt sensitivity
- Life sciences and mass spectrometry: some personal reflections
