Slow-releasing hydrogen sulfide donor GYY4137 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells

The slow-releasing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor GYY4137 and A549 human alveolar epithelial cells were used to investigate H2S toxicity in pulmonary epithelial cells. The cells were exposed to 0, 0.3, 1, or 3 mM GYY4137 for 6 days. Morphological changes, including cell death and transformation into spindle-shaped mesenchymal-like cells, were observed in cells exposed to 1 or 3 mM GYY4137. Transcriptome analysis of cells exposed to 3 mM GYY4137 for 6 days indicated ER stress and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), the latter confirmed by qRT-PCR, immunoblot, and immunocytochemical analyses. These results show the possible roles of EMT in the homeostasis of pulmonary epithelial cells during exposure to H2S.