Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), as a novel
gaseous mediator, plays important roles in mammalian cardiovascular tissues. In the present study, we investigated the cardioprotective effect of
S-diclofenac (2-[(2,6-dichlorophenyl)amino] benzeneacetic
acid 4-(3H-1,2,
dithiol-3-
thione-5-yl)phenyl
ester), a novel H(2)S-releasing derivative of
diclofenac, in a murine model of
doxorubicin-induced
cardiomyopathy. After a single dose injection of
doxorubicin (15 mg/kg, i.p.), male C57BL/6J mice were given daily treatment of
S-diclofenac (25 and 50 µmol/kg, i.p.),
diclofenac (25 and 50 µmol/kg, i.p.),
NaHS (50 µmol/kg, i.p.), or same volume of vehicle. The cardioprotective effect of
S-diclofenac was observed after 14 days. It showed that
S-diclofenac, but not
diclofenac, dose-dependently inhibited the
doxorubicin-induced downregulation of cardiac
gap junction proteins (
connexin 43 and
connexin 45) and thus reversed the remodeling of gap junctions in hearts. It also dose-dependently suppressed
doxorubicin-induced activation of JNK in hearts. Furthermore,
S-diclofenac produced a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effect in this model. As a result,
S-diclofenac significantly attenuated
doxorubicin-related cardiac injury and cardiac dysfunction, and improved the survival rate of mice with
doxorubicin-induced
cardiomyopathy. These effects of
S-diclofenac were mimicked in large part by
NaHS. Therefore, we propose that H(2)S released from
S-diclofenac in vivo contributes to the protective effect in
doxorubicin-induced
cardiomyopathy. These data also provide evidence for a critical role of H(2)S in the pathogenesis of
doxorubicin-induced
cardiomyopathy.