We showed that rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, inhibits cardiac hypertrophy, as determined by the down-regulation of ANP and BNP in cardiomyocytes, and promotes autophagy via the up-regulation of Beclin-1 and Noxa and the down-regulation of p62 and Mcl-1, suggesting that rapamycin exerts a protective effect on cardiomyocytes via the induction of autophagy. The gene discussed is NPPA; the disease is cardiac hypertrophy.