Role of redox status on the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades by NSAIDs

Abstract High concentrations of non steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) exert preventive effects against carcinogenesis. Their molecular mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. Based on previous reports with salicylate, we have made the hypothesis that various NSAIDs can activate the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Moreover, we tested the idea that NSAIDs act by increasing the effects of oxidative stress. We report that in human colorectal carcinoma cells NSAIDs stimulated the three families of MAPK, extracellular regulated kinases, c-Jun N-terminal kinases, p38 MAPK and that this stimulation is prevented by N -acetyl cysteine. In cultured astrocytes, a biological system less sensitive to oxidative stress, we show that a short treatment by NSAIDs strongly activated the three MAP kinases in the presence of H 2 O 2 . A 25 μM H 2 O 2 , unable to stimulate by itself the MAP kinases, promote an almost complete activation of MAP kinases in the presence of NSAIDs. The activation of MAP kinases by H 2 O 2 and NSAIDs was suppressed by quinone reductase inhibitors, suggesting that “redox cycling” was involved in the activation mechanisms of MAP kinases by H 2 O 2 and NSAIDs. The mobility on SDS–PAGE of the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase, which activates C-Jun N-terminal kinases and p38 MAPK cascades, was reduced by H 2 O 2 and NSAIDs, suggesting, that H 2 O 2 and NSAIDs activated apoptosis signal-regulating kinase by increasing its state of phosphorylation. In conclusion, we demonstrate that various NSAIDs can activate the three families of MAP kinases and that this activation depends on the presence of reactive oxygenated species. These results give a new insight into the mechanism of the action of NSAIDs.