Nelumbo nucifera receptaculum extract suppresses angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (lotus) is an important medicinal plant, and many parts of the plant have been investigated for their therapeutic effects. However, the therapeutic effect of receptacles of lotuses on pathological cardiomyocyte hypertrophy has not been investigated yet. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the protective effect of lotus against angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro. Ang II was used to induce hypertrophy of H9c2 cells. The lotus receptacle powder (MeOH extract of receptaculum Nelumbinis; MRN) used in the experiments was prepared by MeOH extraction and subsequent evaporation. To evaluate the effect of MRN on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cell size, protein synthesis, and hypertrophic marker expressions were examined. The antioxidant ability of MRN was determined by using CM-H2DCFDA, a general oxidative stress indicator. Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was significantly attenuated by 5 μg/mL of MRN, as confirmed by the reductions in cell size, protein synthesis, and hypertrophic marker expression. MRN also attenuated Ang II-induced excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production through the suppression of protein kinase C (PKC), extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and NF-κB activation and subsequent type I angiotensin receptor (AT1R), receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and NADPH oxidase (NOX) expression. MRN exerted a significant protective effect against Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through suppression of PKC-ERK signaling, and this subsequently led to attenuation of intracellular ROS production.