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Hydrogen sulfide improves left ventricular function in smoking rats via regulation of apoptosis and autophagy

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Abstract

The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) against cigarette smoking-induced left ventricular dysfunction in rats. Left ventricular structure and function were assessed using two-dimensional echocardiography. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was determined by Annexin V/PI and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining. Cardiac autophagy was evaluated by detection of autophagy-related protein expression and observation of autophagosomes. Our results indicated that administration of NaHS (a donor of H2S) could protect against smoking-induced left ventricular systolic dysfunction. H2S was found to exert anti-apoptotic effects in the myocardium of smoking rats by inhibiting JNK and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways and activating PI3K/Akt signaling. Moreover, H2S could also reduce smoking-induced autophagic cell death via regulation of AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that H2S can improve left ventricular systolic function in smoking rats via regulation of apoptosis and autophagy.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou, 215004, Jiangsu, China

    Xiang Zhou, Guoyin An & Jianchang Chen

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  1. Xiang Zhou
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  2. Guoyin An
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  3. Jianchang Chen
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Correspondence to Xiang Zhou.

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Zhou, X., An, G. & Chen, J. Hydrogen sulfide improves left ventricular function in smoking rats via regulation of apoptosis and autophagy. Apoptosis 19, 998–1005 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10495-014-0978-z

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