Saroj Chakraborty, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the University of Toledo, left, and Dr. Bina Joe, Distinguished University Professor and chair of UT's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Source: Dan Miller, University of ToledoResearchers studying hypertension at the University of Toledo have identified a relationship between the disease and beta hydroxybutyrate, a ketone produced by the liver. This means that it may be possible to regulate blood pressure with a pill rather than by increasing exercise and reducing sodium intake.

The researchers noticed previously unexplored connections between how beta hydroxybutyrate is produced and environmental factors that affect blood pressure. More specifically, they saw that two activities, increasing exercise and reducing calorie intake, raise the level of beta hydroxybutyrate and also lower blood pressure.

The impact of salt was another key discovery. "Our team found that high salt consumption lowered levels of circulating beta hydroxybutyrate. When we put beta hydroxybutyrate back in the system, normal blood pressure is restored," said Dr. Bina Joe, chair of UT's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and director of the Center for Hypertension and Precision Medicine. "We have an opportunity to control salt-sensitive hypertension without exercising."

The team tested its hypothesis by feeding lab rats a supplement (1,3-butanediol), which is converted to beta hydroxybutyrate by liver enzymes before traveling to the kidneys. The researchers found that the beta hydroxybutyrate reduced inflammation (kidney damage) and decreased blood pressure. They are also studying its effects on the heart, blood vessels, brain and other organ systems.

UT has received a provisional patent on the concept and hopes eventually to get funding for a clinical trial. In the meantime, further research includes gathering data comparing the level of beta hydroxybutyrate in patients with and without high blood pressure, as well as determining the amount of 1,3-butanediol needed to control high blood pressure and whether there is any potential damage to other organs.

A supplement that treats high blood pressure in this way would benefit patients who are not able to exercise for various reasons.

The team's findings were published in Cell Reports.