Effects of aspirin on the levels of hydrogen sulfide and sulfane sulfur in mouse tissues

This study was designed to investigate the effect of aspirin (ASA) on anaerobic cysteine metabolism, which yields sulfane sulfur-containing compounds and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), in mouse liver and brain. In order to solve this problem, we determined the levels of sulfane sulfur and H2S, and the activities of cystathionase, the enzyme directly engaged in H2S synthesis, and rhodanese, the enzyme that catalyzes sulfane sulfur transfer to different acceptors. Moreover, we examined the effect of ASA on glial Gomori-positive cells (GGPC) in the brain that contain sulfur-rich glial Gomori-positive material (GGPM). The studies indicated an ASA-induced decrease in H2S levels in the brain and an increase in the liver. ASA-treated animals had lower cerebral levels of GGPM-containing GGPCs but the sulfane sulfur level was not affected. Conversely, the sulfane sulfur content in the liver dropped. ASA did not change cystathionase and rhodanese activity in either organ. The obtained results revealed that ASA was able to influence anaerobic cysteine metabolism, leading to the formation of sulfane sulfur and H2S in the mouse liver and brain, and to affect the numbers of GGPM-containing GGPCs.