Cytochrome P450 1B1 contributes to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular and renal dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Purpose We investigated the contribution of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1B1 to hypertension and its pathogenesis by examining the effect of its selective inhibitor, 2,4,3′,5′-tetramethoxystilbene (TMS), in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods Blood pressure (BP) was measured bi-weekly. Starting at 8 weeks, TMS (600 μg/kg, i.p.) or its vehicle was injected daily. At 14 weeks, samples were collected for measurement. Results TMS reversed increased BP in SHR (207 ± 7 vs. 129 ± 2 mmHg) without altering BP in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Increased CYP1B1 activity in SHR was inhibited by TMS (RLU: aorta, 5.4 ± 0.7 vs. 3.7 ± 0.7; heart, 6.0 ± 0.8 vs. 3.4 ± 0.4; kidney, 411 ± 45 vs. 246 ± 10). Increased vascular reactivity, cardiovascular hypertrophy, endothelial and renal dysfunction, cardiac and renal fibrosis in SHR were minimized by TMS. Increased production of reactive oxygen species and NADPH oxidase activity in SHR, were diminished by TMS. In SHR, TMS reduced increased plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate (46.4 ± 5.0 vs. 28.1 ± 4.1 μM), hydrogen-peroxide (36.0 ± 3.7 vs. 14.1 ± 3.8 μM), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (6.9 ± 1.0 vs. 3.4 ± 1.5 μM). Increased plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and catecholamines, and cardiac activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, c-Src tyrosine kinase, and protein kinase B in SHR were also inhibited by TMS. Conclusions These data suggests that increased oxidative stress generated by CYP1B1 contributes to hypertension, increased cytokine production and sympathetic activity, and associated pathophysiological changes in SHR. CYP1B1 could be a novel target for developing drugs to treat hypertension and its pathogenesis.