Resveratrol regulates blood pressure by enhancing AMPK signaling to downregulate a Rac1-derived NADPH oxidase in the central nervous system

Resveratrol is a polyphenol with pleiotropic effects against oxidative damage that has been widely implicated in lowering hypertension risk. The purpose of this study was to determine whether improve nitric oxide (NO) release in the brain, either through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) or reduced Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, thereby reducing blood pressure (BP) in rats with fructose-induced hypertension. The rats were fed with 10% fructose or Crestor (rosuvastatin; 1.5 mg·kg −1 ·day −1 ) and resveratrol (10 mg·kg −1 ·day −1 ) treatment for 1 wk, then the systolic blood pressure of the rats was measured by tail-cuff method. Endogenous in vivo superoxide radical production in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) was determined with dihydroethidium. Immunoblotting analyses were used to quantify protein expression levels. Oral resveratrol treatment for 1 wk decreased BP and increased NO production in the NTS of fructose-fed rats but not in the control Wistar-Kyoto rats. The effect of Crestor is opposite that of resveratrol. Fructose induced hypertension by inactivating AMPK, which in turn enhanced the generation of ROS and reduced manganese superoxide dismutase by increasing the activity of Rac1-induced NADPH oxidase, abolishing the activity of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and ribosomal protein S6 kinase (RSK) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) phosphorylation signaling pathway in the brain. However, resveratrol had the opposite effect in the fructose-fed rats. Overall, we show that the resveratrol decreased BP better than Crestor, abolished ROS generation, and enhanced the ERK1/2-RSK-nNOS pathway by activating AMPK to downregulate Rac1-induced NADPH oxidase levels in the NTS during oxidative stress–associated hypertension. NEW & NOTEWORTHY 1) Evidence showed that the Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) augmented by Crestor (rosuvastatin) did not result in a significant change in blood pressure (BP) in fructose-induced hypertension. 2) Fructose induced hypertension by inactivating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which in turn enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced manganese superoxide dismutase in the brain. 3) Resveratrol decreased BP better than Crestor, abolished ROS generation, and enhanced the ERK1/2-ribosomal protein S6 kinase-neuronal nitric oxide synthase pathway by activating AMPK to negatively regulate Rac1-induced NADPH oxidase levels in the nucleus tractus solitarii during oxidative stress–associated hypertension.