Rats in the sham (vehicle), AAC (vehicle), and A+Z 14 groups were treated with vehicle or zonisamide for 6 weeks. NRCMs were incubated with zonisamide and Ang II for 24 h, cell apoptosis was measured by TUNEL staining (green, TUNEL staining; blue, DAPI staining), and the protein levels of CHOP, Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase12 were measured by Western blotting. a, b NRCMs were analyzed for apoptosis by TUNEL analysis and then quantified to determine the percentage of TUNEL-positive nuclei (n = 4) (scale = 50 µm). c, d Western blotting results and quantitative analysis of CHOP, Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase12 expression in rats hearts (n = 7). e, f Western blot results and quantitative analysis of CHOP, Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase12 expression in NRCMs (n = 7). Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Values are presented as the mean ± SEM. For b, f, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. Con; #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01 vs. Ang II. For d, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 vs. sham; #P < 0.05, ##P < 0.01 vs. AAC.