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.