The use of

-blockers has emerged as a beneficial treatment for cardiac hypertrophy. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1

(HIF-1

) is tightly regulated in the ventricular myocardium. However, the expression of HIF-1

in cardiac hypertrophy due to pressure overload and after treatment with

-blocker is little known. To evaluate the effect of carvedilol on both myocardial HIF-1

expression and cardiac hypertrophy, infra-renal aortic banding was performed for 4 weeks in adult Sprague-Dawley rats to induce cardiac hypertrophy. Carvedilol at 50 mg/kg body weight per day after surgery was given. Heart weight and the ratio of heart weight and body weight increased significantly after aortic banding for 4 weeks in the absence of drug treatment. Mean arterial pressure increased from 80 ± 9 mmHg in the sham group to 94 ±5 mmHg (
p < 0.001) in="" the="" banding="" group.="" echocardiography="" showed="" concentric="" hypertrophy="" after="" aortic="" banding.="" mean="" arterial="" pressure="" decreased="" after="" treatment="" with="" carvedilol.="" the="" increased="" wall="" thickness="" and="" heart="" weight="" was="" reversed="" to="" normal="" by="" carvedilol.="" western="" blot="" showed="" that=""> 0.001)>

, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) proteins were up-regulated and nerve growth factor-

(NGF-

) down-regulated in the banding group. Treatment with valsartan, doxazosin, or
N-acetylcysteine did not significantly affect HIF-1

and VEGF proteins expression in the banding groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that mRNA of HIF-1

, VEGF and BNP increased and mRNA of NGF-

decreased in the banding group. Treatment with carvedilol reversed both protein and mRNA of HIF-1

, VEGF, BNP, and NGF-

to the baseline values. Increased immunohistochemical labeling of HIF-1

, VEGF, and BNP in the ventricular myocardium was observed in the banding group and carvedilol again normalized the labeling. In conclusion, HIF-1

, VEGF, and BNP mRNA and protein expression were up-regulated, while NGF-

mRNA and protein was downregulated in the rat model of pressure-overloaded cardiac hypertrophy. Treatment with carvedilol is associated with a reversal of abnormal regulation of HIF-1

,VEGF, BNP, and NGF-

in the hypertrophic myocardium.