Commensal Microbiota Regulate Aldosterone

Abstract

The gut microbiome regulates many important host physiological processes associated with cardiovascular health and disease; however, the impact of the gut microbiome on aldosterone is unclear. Investigating whether gut microbiota regulate aldosterone can offer novel insights into how the microbiome affects blood pressure. In this study, we aimed to determine whether gut microbiota regulate host aldosterone. We employed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to assess plasma aldosterone and plasma renin activity (PRA) in female and male mice in which gut microbiota are intact, suppressed, or absent. In addition, we examined urinary aldosterone. Our findings demonstrated that when the gut microbiota is suppressed following antibiotic treatment, there is an increase in plasma and urinary aldosterone in both female and male mice. In contrast, an increase in PRA is seen only in males. We also found that when gut microbiota are absent (germ-free mice), plasma aldosterone is significantly increased compared to conventional animals (in both females and males), but PRA is not. Understanding how gut microbiota influence aldosterone levels could provide valuable insights into the development and treatment of hypertension and/or primary aldosteronism. This knowledge may open new avenues for therapeutic interventions, such as probiotics or dietary modifications to help regulate blood pressure via microbiota-based changes to aldosterone.