Activation of the p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway contributes to doxorubicin-induced inflammation and cytotoxicity in H9c2 cardiac cells

A number of studies have demonstrated that inflammation plays a role in doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. However, the molecular mechanism by which DOX induces cardiac inflammation has yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) pathway in DOX-induced inflammation and cytotoxicity. The results of our study demonstrated that the exposure of H9c2 cardiac cells to DOX reduced cell viability and stimulated an inflammatory response, as demonstrated by an increase in the levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and IL-6, as well as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production. Notably, DOX exposure induced the overexpression of phosphorylated p38 MAPK and phosphorylation of the NF-kappa B p65 subunit, which was markedly inhibited by SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK. The inhibition of NF-kappa B by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a selective inhibitor of NF-kappa B, significantly ameliorated DOX-induced inflammation, leading to a decrease in the levels of IL-1 beta and IL-6, as well as TNF-alpha production in H9c2 cells. The pretreatment of H9c2 cells with either SB203580 or PDTC before exposure to DOX significantly attenuated DOX-induced cytotoxicity. In conclusion, our study provides novel data demonstrating that the p38 MAPK/NF-kappa B pathway is important in the induction of DOX-induced inflammation and cytotoxicity in H9c2 cardiac myocytes.