Rutaecarpine prevents hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy involving the inhibition of Nox4-ROS-ADAM17 pathway

Rutaecarpine attenuates hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy in the rats with abdominal artery constriction (AAC); however, its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. Our previous study indicated that NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) promotes angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac hypertrophy through the pathway between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-17 (ADAM17) in primary cardiomyocytes. This research aimed to determine whether the Nox4-ROS-ADAM17 pathway is involved in the protective action of rutaecarpine against hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy. AAC-induced hypertensive rats were adopted to evaluate the role of rutaecarpine in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy. Western blotting and real-time PCR were used to detect gene expression. Rutaecarpine inhibited hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy in AAC-induced hypertensive rats. These findings were confirmed by the results of in vitro experiments that rutaecarpine significantly inhibited Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy in primary cardiomyocytes. Likewise, rutaecarpine significantly suppressed the Nox4-ROS-ADAM17 pathway and over-activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 pathway in the left ventricle of AAC-induced hypertensive rats and primary cardiomyocytes stimulated with Ang II. The inhibition of Nox4-ROS-ADAM17 pathway and over-activation of ERK1/2 might be associated with the beneficial role of rutaecarpine in hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy, thus providing additional evidence for preventing hypertensive cardiac hypertrophy with rutaecarpine.