The Secret of Excessive Salt Intake: 'Serotonin'

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] The mechanism by which our body regulates salt intake has been uncovered. A study revealed that salt consumption is controlled by the action of serotonin-responsive neurons. This research is expected to advance the treatment of various diseases closely related to salt intake, such as hypertension and kidney failure.

KAIST announced on the 11th that Professor Jongwoo Son's research team from the Department of Biological Sciences succeeded in identifying a mechanism that can control excessive salt intake in our body.

Salt Intake Regulated by Serotonin Response

The research team discovered that serotonin-responsive neurons in the brainstem suppress salt intake. They also found that these neurons are active under normal conditions to inhibit salt consumption, but when serotonin response occurs, they stop suppressing salt intake.

Recently, research teams in the United States revealed that there is a neural circuit that increases salt intake when body fluids decrease due to dehydration or bleeding. However, the fact that there are neurons that suppress salt intake under normal conditions and that these can be controlled was revealed for the first time in this study, making it significant.

Body fluids consist of extracellular fluid, including blood and interstitial fluid, and intracellular fluid. Sodium ions, the main component of salt, are distributed in the extracellular fluid and draw water from the intracellular fluid through osmosis. When sodium levels increase in the body, the volume of blood and interstitial fluid increases. This can lead to elevated blood pressure and edema. Excessive salt intake is especially critical for patients with diseases where fluid volume regulation is important, such as kidney failure. Accordingly, many doctors and scientists have been seeking effective ways to control salt intake.

Helps Treatment of Patients with Hypertension, Heart Failure, etc.

The research team expects this study to aid in the treatment of patients with diseases where fluid volume regulation is crucial, such as heart failure.

Professor Son stated, "We have identified the mechanism controlling salt intake at the molecular level, which is expected to help treat various diseases related to excessive salt consumption, such as hypertension and kidney failure. We plan to focus future research on the conditions under which serotonin is secreted."

In addition to Professor Son, PhD candidate Siyoung Park participated as the first author, and the study was conducted jointly with Professor Chen Liu from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The research results were published in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience on the 20th.