The University of Toledo Translation Journal of Medical Sciences 
Nephrology Abstract, Department of Medicine Research Symposium UTJMS 2023 May 5; 11(1):e1-e2 

Oxalate Diet Induced Chronic Kidney 
Disease in Dahl-Salt-Sensitive Rats Induces 
Uremic Cardiomyopathy 
Prabhatchandra Dube1*, Vaishnavi Aradhyula1, Esha Kashaboina1, Eshita 
Kashaboina1, Snigdha Gorthi1, Shangari Varatharajan1, Travis W. Stevens1, Ambika 
Sood1, Jacob Connolly1, Sophia Soehnlen1, Fatimah Khalaf1, Andrew Kleinhenz1, 
Oliver Domenig1, Lance D. Dworkin1, Deepak Malhotra1, Steven T. Haller2, David J. 
Kennedy2

1Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, The University of Toledo, 
Toledo, OH 43614 
2Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, The University of 
Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614 

*Corresponding author: Prabhatchandra.Dube@utoledo.edu

Published: 05 May 2023 

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often develop “uremic” cardiomyopathy 
characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac remodeling, causing high morbidity and 
mortality. Increased levels of dietary oxalate, a renally-eliminated terminal toxic metabolite, can lead to 
CKD. Dahl-salt-sensitive rats (SS) are mainstay models of hypertensive renal disease; however, 
characterization of other diet-induced CKD models with uremic cardiomyopathy would allow for 
comparative studies.   

Objective/Hypothesis: Our objective was to characterize a clinically relevant diet-induced rodent model of 
uremic cardiomyopathy. We hypothesized that SS rats fed a high oxalate diet will develop cardiac dysfunction 
compared to SS rats fed a normal chow diet.   

Methods/Results: Ten-week-old male SS rats were fed either 0.2% salt normal chow (SS-NC) or 0.2% 
salt and 0.67% sodium oxalate (SS-OX) for five weeks (n=6-8/group). SS-OX rats demonstrated 
increased 24-hour urinary protein excretion (97% vs SS-NC, p<0.01), plasma Cystatin C (135% vs SS-
NC, p<0.01), and hypertension (23% increase in systolic blood pressure vs. SS-NC, p<0.05). Renin-
angiotensin-aldosterone-system profile demonstrated significant (p<0.05) increases in circulating plasma 
angiotensin (128% vs SS-NC), angiotensin I (56% vs SS-NC), and suppression of aldosterone (-54% vs 
SS-NC). SS-OX also displayed increased cardiac tissue fibrosis (188% vs. SS-NC, p<0.05) and 
inflammation (75% vs. SS-NC, p<0.0001). Echocardiography of SS-OX rats showed increased posterior 
wall thickness (128% vs. SS-NC, p<0.01), increased septal wall thickness (113% vs. SS-NC, p<0.05), 
indicating left ventricular hypertrophy.  

https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-766 

https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-766
mailto:Prabhatchandra.Dube@utoledo.edu


https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-766 UTJMS 11(1):e1-e2 

https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-766 2 ©2023 UTJMS 

Conclusion: Oxalate diet induces significant renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system activation, 
hypertension, cardiac fibrosis, inflammation, left ventricular remodeling, introducing a novel diet-
induced model to study the cardiovascular complications of CKD. 

https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-766
https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-766