Ferulic acid inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation induced by angiotensin II

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ferulic acid on the proliferation and molecular mechanism in cultured vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) induced by angiotensin II. It was shown that ferulic acid significantly inhibited angiotensin II-induced VSMC proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Western blotting analyses suggest that the antiproliferative effect of ferulic acid was involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway. While no effect on p38, ferulic acid markedly inactivated the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), indicating that the inhibition of ferulic acid on VSMC proliferation was associated with ERK1/2 and JNK rather than p38 pathway. On the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, ferulic acid elevated the protein content of p21(waf1/cip1), decreased expression of cyclin D1 and inhibited phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein, suggesting that ferulic acid inhibited VSMC proliferation by regulating the cell progression from G1 to S phase. The inactivation of MAPKs and modulation of cell cycle proteins of ferulic acid may be of importance in preventing cardiovascular disease.