Cyclooxygenase-2 mediates the delayed cardioprotection induced by hydrogen sulfide preconditioning in isolated rat cardiomyocytes

We previously reported that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) preconditioning (SP) produces cardioprotection in isolated rat cardiomyocytes. The present study was designed to determine the involvement of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the SP-induced delayed cardioprotection. Isolated cardiac myocytes were treated with NaHS (100 μM, a H2S donor) for 30 min and then cultured for 20 h followed by ischemia/reperfusion insults. SP significantly increased cell viability, percentage of rod-shaped cells, and myocyte contractility after 10 min of reperfusion. Given 30 min before and during lethal ischemia, two selective COX-2 inhibitors, NS-398 and celebrex, abrogated SP-induced cardioprotective effects. Moreover, SP upregulated the expression of COX-2 and increased PGE2 production in the cardiac myocytes. These effects were significantly attenuated by glibenclamide, an ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP) blocker, and chelerythrine, a selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, suggesting that activation of both KATP and PKC is required for the stimulation of COX-2. Additionally, NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, failed to regulate COX-2 protein expression but inhibited SP-enhanced COX-2 activity and PGE2 production. In conclusion, we provided the first evidence that SP may produce delayed cardioprotection via KATP/PKC dependent induction of COX-2 expression and via nitric oxide-induced COX-2 activation.