NADPH oxidase 4 promotes cardiac microvascular angiogenesis after hypoxia/reoxygenation in vitro

Microvascular endothelial cell dysfunction plays a key role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, wherein reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent signaling is intensively involved. However, the roles of the various ROS sources remain unclear. This study sought to investigate the role of NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) in the cardiac microvascular endothelium in response to I/R injury. Adult rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) were isolated and subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Our results showed that Nox4 was highly expressed in CMECs, was significantly increased at both mRNA and protein levels after H/R injury, and contributed to H/R-stimulated increase in Nox activity and ROS generation. Downregulation of Nox4 by small interfering RNA transfection did not affect cell viability or ROS production under normoxia, but exacerbated H/R injury as evidenced by increased apoptosis and inhibited cell survival, migration, and angiogenesis after H/R. Nox4 inhibition also increased prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) expression and blocked H/R-induced increases in HIF-1α and VEGF expression. Pretreatment with DMOG, a specific competitive PHD inhibitor, upregulated HIF-1α and VEGF expression and significantly reversed Nox4 knockdown-induced injury. However, Nox2 was scarcely expressed and played a minimal role in CMEC survival and angiogenesis after H/R, though a modest upregulation of Nox2 was observed. In conclusion, this study demonstrated a previously unrecognized protective role of Nox4, a ROS-generating enzyme and the major Nox isoform in CMECs, against H/R injury by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting migration and angiogenesis via a PHD2-dependent upregulation of HIF-1/VEGF proangiogenic signaling.