Inhibition of overexpression of Giα proteins and nitroxidative stress contribute to sodium nitroprusside-induced attenuation of high blood pressure in SHR

RNA-Seq transcriptomic landscape profiling of spontaneously hypertensive rats in youth treated with a ARNI versus ARB

Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) are antihypertension medications that improve cardiac remodeling and protect the heart. However, at the early stage of hypertension, it is still unclear how these two drugs affect the transcriptomic profile of multiple organs in hypertensive rats and the transcriptomic differences between them. We performed RNA sequencing to define the RNA expressing profiles of the eight tissues (atrium, ventricle, aorta, kidney, brain, lung, white fat, and brown fat) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and SHRs treated with ARNI or ARB. Acquired data was processed and analyzed by computational analyses (i.e., clustering, DEG, functional association, WGCNA, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis). We discovered that various tissues produced significant transcriptomic changes at the early stage of hypertension. The transcriptomic differences are notably in brown fat, kidney, lung, and brain tissues between ARNI and ARB treatment. Meanwhile, ARNI or ARB treatment can reverse the dysregulated expression genes related to the metabolism process, especially in brown fat, lung, and kidney tissues under hypertension. The current study has presented a comprehensive rat RNA-Seq transcriptomic landscape in SHRs and compared the transcriptome differences between ARNI and ARB treatment as a biomedical research resource for further study.

Role of Gi proteins in the regulation of blood pressure and vascular remodeling

Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G-proteins) through the activation of several signaling mechanisms including adenylyl cyclase/cAMP and phospholipase C (PLC)/phosphatidyl inositol (PI) turnover. regulate a variety of cellular functions, including vascular reactivity, proliferation and hypertrophy of VSMC. Activity of adenylyl cyclase is regulated by two G proteins, stimulatory (Gsα) and inhibitory (Giα). Gsα stimulates adenylyl cyclase activity and increases the levels of cAMP, whereas Giα inhibits the activity of adenylyl cyclase and results in the reduction of cAMP levels. Abnormalities in Giα protein expression and associated adenylyl cyclase\cAMP levels result in the impaired cellular functions and contribute to various pathological states including hypertension. The expression of Giα proteins is enhanced in various tissues including heart, kidney, aorta and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from genetic (spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)) and experimentally - induced hypertensive rats and contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension. In addition, the enhanced expression of Giα proteins exhibited by VSMC from SHR is also implicated in the hyperproliferation and hypertrophy, the two key players contributing to vascular remodelling in hypertension. The enhanced levels of endogenous vasoactive peptides including angiotensin II (Ang II), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and growth factors contribute to the overexpression of Giα proteins in VSMC from SHR. In addition, enhanced oxidative stress, activation of c-Src, growth factor receptor transactivation and MAP kinase/PI3kinase signaling also contribute to the augmented expression of Giα proteins in VSMC from SHR. This review summarizes the role of Giα proteins, and the underlying molecular mechanisms implicated in the regulation of high blood pressure and vascular remodelling.

Sirtuin1 inhibitor attenuates hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats: role of Giα proteins and nitroxidative stress

BACKGROUND

We recently showed that vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibit overexpression of Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) that contributes to the enhanced expression of Giα proteins implicated in the development of hypertension in SHR.

METHOD

The present study investigated if the inhibition of Sirt1 could also ameliorate hypertension in SHR and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. For this study, a selective inhibitor of Sirt1, EX-527 (5 mg/kg of body weight), was injected intraperitoneally into 8-week-old SHR and age-matched Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats twice per week for 3 weeks. The blood pressure (BP) and heart rate was measured twice a week by the CODA noninvasive tail cuff method.

RESULTS

The high BP and augmented heart rate in SHR was significantly attenuated by EX-527 treatment, which was associated with the suppression of the overexpression of Sirt1 and Giα proteins in heart, VSMC and aorta. In addition, the enhanced levels of superoxide anion, NADPH oxidase activity, overexpression of NADPH oxidase subunits and FOXO1 were attenuated and the decreased levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), nitric oxide and increased levels of peroxynitrite (ONOO-) and tyrosine nitration in VSMC from SHR were restored to control levels by EX-527 treatment. Furthermore, knockdown of FOXO1 by siRNA also attenuated the overexpression of Giα-2 and NADPH oxidase subunit proteins and restored the decreased expression of eNOS in VSMC from SHR.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that the inhibition of overexpressed Sirt1 and its target FOXO1 through decreasing the enhanced levels of Giα proteins and nitro-oxidative stress attenuates the high BP in SHR.

Angiotensin II-induced overexpression of sirtuin 1 contributes to enhanced expression of Giα proteins and hyperproliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells

Angiotensin II (ANG II) plays an important role in the regulation of various physiological functions including proliferation, hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through the overexpression of Giα proteins. Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), a class III histone deacetylase and epigenetic regulator is implicated in a wide range of cellular functions, including migration and growth of VSMCs and in ANG II-induced hypertension. The present study was undertaken to examine the role of Sirt1 in ANG II-induced overexpression of Giα proteins and hyperproliferation of aortic VSMCs. We show that ANG II treatment of VSMCs increased the expression of Sirt1, which was attenuated by AT₁ and AT₂ receptor antagonists, losartan, and PD123319, respectively. In addition, the knockdown of Sirt1 by siRNA attenuated ANG II-induced overexpression of Giα-2 and Giα-3 proteins, hyperproliferation of VSMCs and the overexpression of cell cycle proteins, cyclin D1, Cdk4, and phosphorylated retinoblastoma proteins. Furthermore, ANG II-induced increased levels of superoxide anion (O₂^-) and NADPH oxidase activity and increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt that are implicated in enhanced expression of Giα proteins and hyperproliferation of VSMCs were also attenuated to control levels by silencing of Sirt1. In addition, depletion of Sirt1 by siRNA also attenuated ANG II-induced enhanced phosphorylation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR) in VSMCs. In summary, our results demonstrate that ANG II increased the expression of Sirt1, which through oxidative stress, growth factor receptor-mediated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase/Akt signaling pathway enhances the expression of Giα proteins and cell cycle proteins and results in the hyperproliferation of VSMCs.NEW & NOTEWORTHY ANG II regulates various physiological functions including proliferation of VSMCs through the overexpression of Giα proteins. Sirt1, a class III histone deacetylase, is implicated in several cellular functions, including VSMC growth and ANG II-induced hypertension. We showed for the first time that ANG II increased the expression of Sirt1, which through oxidative stress, growth factor receptor-mediated MAP kinase/Akt signaling pathway enhances the levels of Giα and cell cycle proteins resulting in the hyperproliferation of VSMCs.

Nitric Oxide Alleviated High Salt-Induced Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis and Autophagy Independent of Blood Pressure in Rats

The present study aimed to explore whether high-salt diet (HSD) could cause cardiac damage independent of blood pressure, and whether nitric oxide (NO) could alleviate high-salt-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophagy in rats. The rats received 8% HSD in vivo. H9C2 cells or primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM) were treated with sodium chloride (NaCl) in vitro. The levels of cleaved-caspase 3/caspase 3, cleaved-caspase 8/caspase 8, Bax/Bcl2, LC3 II/LC3 I, Beclin-1 and autophagy related 7 (ATG7) were increased in the heart of HSD rats with hypertension (HTN), and in hypertension-prone (HP) and hypertension-resistant (HR) rats. Middle and high doses (50 and 100 mM) of NaCl increased the level of cleaved-caspase 3/caspase 3, cleaved-caspase 8/caspase 8, Bax/Bcl2, LC3 II/LC3 I, Beclin-1, and ATG7 in H9C2 cells and NRCM. The endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) level was increased, but p-eNOS level was reduced in the heart of HSD rats and H9C2 cells treated with 100 mM NaCl. The level of NO was reduced in the serum and heart of HSD rats. NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) reversed the increases of cleaved-caspase 3/caspase 3, cleaved-caspase 8/caspase 8, Bax/Bcl2 induced by NaCl (100 mM) in H9C2 cells and NRCM. SNP treatment attenuated the increases of cleaved-caspase 3/caspase 3, Bax/Bcl2, LC3 II/LC3 I, Beclin-1, and ATG7 in the heart, but had no effect on the blood pressure of HSD rats with HR. These results demonstrated that HSD enhanced cardiac damage independently of blood pressure. Exogenous NO supplementarity could alleviate the high salt-induced apoptosis and autophagy in cardiomyocytes.

Sodium nitroprusside attenuates hyperproliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats through the inhibition of overexpression of AT1 receptor, cell cycle proteins, and c-Src/growth factor receptor signaling pathways

We recently showed that sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, attenuated hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Since hypertension is associated with enhanced proliferation and hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), the present study examines whether in vivo treatment of SHR with SNP could also inhibit the augmented proliferation of VSMC and explore the signaling mechanisms. Treatment of 8 week old SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats with SNP twice a week for 2 weeks inhibited the enhanced proliferation of VSMC from SHR, the enhanced expression of angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor, and enhanced activation of c-Src and growth factor receptors and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. In addition, SNP also inhibited the overexpression of cell cycle proteins including cyclins D1, Cdk4, and phosphorylated pRB and restored the downregulated Cdk inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 expression towards control levels. Furthermore, SNP-induced inhibition of enhanced levels of the AT1 receptor and enhanced proliferation was reversed by L-NAME, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. These results suggest that the SNP-induced antiproliferative effect may be mediated through the inhibition of enhanced expression of the AT1 receptor, cell cycle proteins and activation of c-Src, growth factor receptors, and MAP kinase signaling.

Resveratrol prevents the development of high blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats through the inhibition of enhanced expression of Giα proteins

Resveratrol (RV), a polyphenolic component of red wine, has been shown to attenuate high blood pressure (BP) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). We previously found that the enhanced expression of Giα proteins plays a role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in SHRs. In the present study, we investigated whether this RV-induced decrease in BP in SHRs can be attributed to the ability of RV to inhibit the enhanced expression of Giα proteins and the upstream signaling molecules implicated in the overexpression of Giα proteins. Administration of RV (50 mg/kg per day) to prehypertensive 2-week-old SHRs for 6 weeks prevented the development of high BP and inhibited the enhanced expression of Giα proteins, the enhanced levels of superoxide anion (O2−) and NADPH oxidase activity, the enhanced activation (phosphorylation) of c-Src and growth factor receptors, as well as the enhanced levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B (Akt) exhibited by vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from SHRs. In conclusion, these results indicate that RV attenuates the development of high BP in SHRs through the inhibition of enhanced levels of Giα proteins, oxidative stress, and the upstream signaling molecules that contribute to the overexpression of Giα proteins. These findings suggest that RV could potentially be used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of cardiovascular complications including hypertension.