Hydrogen sulfide alleviates hypothyroidism-induced myocardial fibrosis in rats through stimulating autophagy and inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad2 pathway
- Author:
Xiong SONG
1
;
Liangui NIE
;
Junrong LONG
;
Junxiong ZHAO
;
Xing LIU
;
Liuyang WANG
;
Da LIU
;
Sen WANG
;
Shengquan LIU
;
Jun YANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2023;27(1):1-8
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Hypothyroidism alone can lead to myocardial fibrosis and result in heart failure, but traditional hormone replacement therapy does not improve the fibrotic situation. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), a new gas signaling molecule, possesses antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-fibrotic capabilities. Whether H 2 S could improve hypothyroidism-induced myocardial fibrosis are not yet studied. In our study, H 2 S could decrease collagen deposition in the myocardial tissue of rats caused by hypothyroidism. Furthermore, in hypothyroidism-induced rats, we found that H 2 S could enhance cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE), not cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), protein expressions. Finally, we noticed that H 2 S could elevate autophagy levels and inhibit the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signal transduction pathway. In conclusion, our experiments not only suggest that H 2 S could alleviate hypothyroidism-induced myocardial fibrosis by activating autophagy and suppressing TGF-β1/ SMAD family member 2 (Smad 2) signal transduction pathway, but also show that it can be used as a complementary treatment to conventional hormone therapy.
