A Persulfide Donor Responsive to Reactive Oxygen Species: Insights into Reactivity and Therapeutic Potential

Abstract

AbstractPersulfides (RSSH) have been hypothesized as critical components in sulfur‐mediated redox cycles and as potential signaling compounds, similar to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Hindering the study of persulfides is a lack of persulfide‐donor compounds with selective triggers that release discrete persulfide species. Reported here is the synthesis and characterization of a ROS‐responsive (ROS=reactive oxygen species), self‐immolative persulfide donor. The donor, termed BDP‐NAC, showed selectivity towards H2O2 over other potential oxidative or nucleophilic triggers, resulting in the sustained release of the persulfide of N‐acetyl cysteine (NAC) over the course of 2 h, as measured by LCMS. Exposure of H9C2 cardiomyocytes to H2O2 revealed that BDP‐NAC mitigated the effects of a highly oxidative environment in a dose‐dependent manner over relevant controls and to a greater degree than common H2S donors sodium sulfide (Na2S) and GYY4137. BDP‐NAC also rescued cells more effectively than a non‐persulfide‐releasing control compound in concert with common H2S donors and thiols.