ABSTRACT
AIM:To investigate the ability of a metal complex ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) to re-lease H2 S and its cytoprotective effect on an oxidative injury model .METHODS:Released H2 S was absorbed in a reaction flask from ATTM dissolved in the cell medium .Staining with dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate or rhodamine 123 fol-lowed by photofluorography was conducted for the observation of reactive oxygen species ( ROS) and mitochondrial mem-brane potential (ΔΨm) levels, respectively.Cell viability and release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from the cells were measured with commercial kits.RESULTS:Similar to another H2S donor GYY4137, ATTM had an ability to release H2S in the cell medium in a dose-dependent manner .Treatment of human skin HaCaT cells with ATTM at concentrations of 25~400 μmol/L didn’ t significantly alter cell viability .Exposure of the cells to ultraviolet rays or a ROS donor H 2 O2 in-creased the intracellular ROS levels .Treatment with 400 μmol/L H2 O2 significantly reduced the viability of HaCaT cells (P<0.01).However, before the treatment with H2O2, pretreatment with ATTM at 100 and 200 μmol/L markedly pre-vented the H2O2-induced cell injury (P<0.01).In addition, the treatment with H2O2 triggeredΔΨm loss (P<0.01) and LDH release from the cells (P<0.01).Prior to suffering from H2O2 injury, the preconditioning with 200 μmol/L ATTM significantly improved ΔΨm levels ( P<0.05 ) and attenuated LDH release from the cells ( P<0.01 ) .CONCLUSION:ATTM is capable of releasing H 2 S and protecting human skin cells against oxidative injury .