sFRP1 protects H9c2 cardiac myoblasts from doxorubicin-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the Wnt/PCP-JNK pathway

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective chemotherapy drug against a wide range of cancers, including both hematological and solid tumors. However, the serious cardiotoxic effect restricted its clinical application. We previously have illuminated the protective role of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1) is one of the endogenous inhibitors of both canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling. In this study, we investigated the relationship between sFRP1 and noncanonical Wnt/PCP-JNK (Wnt/planar cell polarity-c-Jun N-terminal kinase) pathway in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. We showed that treatment of H9c2 cardiac myoblasts with Dox (1 μM) time-dependently suppressed cell viability accompanied by significantly decreased sFRP1 protein level and increased Wnt/PCP-JNK signaling. Pretreatment with SP600125, the Wnt/PCP-JNK signaling inhibitor, attenuated Dox-induced apoptosis of H9c2 cells. Overexpression of sFRP1 protected H9c2 cells from Dox-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the Wnt/PCP-JNK pathway. After intraperitoneal injection of a cumulative dose of 15 mg/kg Dox, rats displayed significant cardiac dysfunction; their heart showed inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling and activated Wnt/PCP-JNK signaling. These results suggest that sFRP1 may be a novel target for Dox-induced cardiotoxicity.