AKT1 and cardiac hypertrophy: AT1R activated by Ang II binding can activate various intracellular protein kinases, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family proteins, protein kinase C (PKC), and protein kinase B (Akt) [8] and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) via NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX) activation, which at high levels, leads to the activation of downstream signaling pathways that can stimulate cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, apoptosis, etc. [9].