2.3. Angiotensin II Induced Hypertension (AHTN)

Mice aged 10 weeks (n = 3), were anesthetized with isoflurane, and subcutaneously implanted with osmotic pumps (Alzet, model 1004, Cupertino, CA, USA) filled with angiotensin II (490 ng/kg/min; BACHEM, Torrance, CA, USA). Infusions lasted 3 weeks, during which the mice had free access to normal chow and drinking water. Systolic blood pressure was determined using the tail-cuff method after acclimatization and training, as described previously [24]. The mice were fed regular chow (Teklad, 8604) during the entire study period (with NaCl content of roughly 0.5%).