Candee T. Barris, Taylor C. Kress, Galina Antonova, Coleton Jordan, Austin Newman, Jessica Faulkner, Muhammad Saeed, Simone Kennard, Eric J. Belin de Chantemèle
Obesity induces hypertension in females through the leptin-aldosterone-mineralocorticoid axis; however, the origin of this sex-specific mechanism remains unknown. Utilizing obese female mice, ovariectomy did not significantly impair blood pressure (BP), vascular function, or aldosterone synthase, whereas leptin receptor blockade lowered BP and restored vascular reactivity. In human cells and tissues, sex hormones did not alter aldosterone synthase expression. These data indicate that sex hormones do not drive the sex difference in the mechanism of obesity-associated hypertension.