Serum lead levels in experimental hypertension.

Serum lead (Pb) levels were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry in Grollman renal hypertensive (RH), spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive (NT) male rats of similar weight. Statistically significant (P less than 0.001) blood pressure elevations were obtained in the RH animals 195 +/- 12.0 mm Hg and the SHR animals measured 192 +/- 39 mm Hg compared with 136 +/- 4.79 mm Hg in the NT animals. Serum Pb values were elevated in both the RH 7.9 +/- 0.86 micrograms/dl, and NT 8.53 +/- 2.79 micrograms/dl animals whereas significantly lower (P less than 0.005) levels were measured in SHR 5.0 +/- 0.86 micrograms/dl animals. Blood hemoglobin and erythrocyte counts were normal and similar in all three groups of animals. These results show that serum Pb levels are not altered in RH rats compared with NT rats. The SHR animals had significantly lower levels of serum Pb, which probably reflect an indigeneous SHR condition.