Hydrogen Sulfide Prevents Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species through PI3K/Akt Signaling and Limits Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury

• Published in: Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity 2017-01, Vol.2017 (2017), p.1-14
• Main Authors: Hoetzel, Alexander, Engelstaedter, Helen, Ihle, Paul Mikael, Donus, Rosa, Spassov, Sashko Georgiev, Faller, Simone
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Cellular signal transduction; Colleges & universities; Cytoprotection - drug effects; Disease Models, Animal; Experiments; Genetic aspects; Hydrogen sulfide; Hydrogen Sulfide - pharmacology; Hydrogen Sulfide - therapeutic use; Inflammation; Kinases; Lung - drug effects; Lung - pathology; Lung diseases; Lungs; Male; Medical research; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Oxygen; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Physiological aspects; Prevention; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Risk factors; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury - metabolism; Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury - prevention & control; Ventilators
• ISSN: 1942-0900; 1942-0994
• DOI: 10.1155/2017/3715037

The development of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is still a major problem in mechanically ventilated patients. Low dose inhalation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) during mechanical ventilation has been proven to prevent lung damage by limiting inflammatory responses in rodent models. However, the capacity of H2S to affect oxidative processes in VILI and its underlying molecular signaling pathways remains elusive. In the present study we show that ventilation with moderate tidal volumes of 12 ml/kg for 6 h led to an excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mice lungs which was prevented by supplemental inhalation of 80 parts per million of H2S. In addition, phosphorylation of the signaling protein Akt was induced by H2S. In contrast, inhibition of Akt by LY294002 during ventilation reestablished lung damage, neutrophil influx, and proinflammatory cytokine release despite the presence of H2S. Moreover, the ability of H2S to induce the antioxidant glutathione and to prevent ROS production was reversed in the presence of the Akt inhibitor. Here, we provide the first evidence that H2S-mediated Akt activation is a key step in protection against VILI, suggesting that Akt signaling limits not only inflammatory but also detrimental oxidative processes that promote the development of lung injury.