Evodiamine attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy

Evodiamine, a traditional Chinese herb Evodia rutaecarpa, has been shown its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. However, the role of evodiamine in cardiac hypertrophy and its possible molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of evodiamine on cardiac hypertrophy and explore the possible mechanisms. Aortic banding (AB) on mice was performed to induce the models of cardiac hypertrophy. Evodiamine was administered to mice for 7 weeks begining at one week after AB or sham surgery. Cardiac function was evaluate by Echocardiography and hemodynamics; The makers of cardiac hypertrophy were measured with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis were investigated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL). We found that evodiamine could attenuate pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis through inhibiting phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (Erk1/2) and Akt protein expressions. Furthmore, evodiamine reduced the positive percentage of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in response to AB surgery. Therefore, evodiamine was a potential drug to inhibit cardiac hypertrophy via Erk1/2 and Akt signal pathways.