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

Persulfides (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 2h, 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.