Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Mar:149:110-123.
doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.11.014. Epub 2017 Nov 23.

A review of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donors: Chemistry and potential therapeutic applications

Chadwick R Powell  1 , Kearsley M Dillon  1 , John B Matson  2
Affiliations
Review

A review of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donors: Chemistry and potential therapeutic applications

Chadwick R Powell et al. Biochem Pharmacol. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a ubiquitous small gaseous signaling molecule, playing an important role in many physiological processes and joining nitric oxide and carbon monoxide in the group of signaling agents termed gasotransmitters. Endogenous concentrations of H2S are generally low, making it difficult to discern precise biological functions. As such, probing the physiological roles of H2S is aided by exogenous delivery of the gas in cell and animal studies. This need for an exogenous source of H2S provides a unique challenge for chemists to develop chemical tools that facilitate the study of H2S under biological conditions. Compounds that degrade in response to a specific trigger to release H2S, termed H2S donors, include a wide variety of functional groups and delivery systems, some of which mimic the tightly controlled endogenous production in response to specific, biologically relevant conditions. This review examines a variety of H2S donor systems classified by their H2S-releasing trigger as well as their H2S release profiles, byproducts, and potential therapeutic applications.

Keywords: Carbonyl sulfide; Cell signaling; Gasotransmitter; Perthiols; Self-immolation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphical overview of endogenous H2S production in mammalian cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A) Schematic illustration depicting the concept of a self-immolative releasing its payload. B) An example mechanism depicting COS release from a generalized thiocarbamate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abe K, Kimura H. The possible role of hydrogen sulfide as an endogenous neuromodulator. J Neurosci. 1996;16(3):1066–1071. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang R. Two's company, three's a crowd: can H2S be the third endogenous gaseous transmitter? FASEB J. 2002;16(13):1792–8. - PubMed
    1. Ungerer P, Wender A, Demoulin G, Bourasseau É, Mougin P. Application of Gibbs Ensemble and NPT Monte Carlo Simulation to the Development of Improved Processes for H2S-rich Gases. Mol Simul. 2004;30(10):631–648.
    1. Cuevasanta E, Denicola A, Alvarez B, Möller MN. Solubility and permeation of hydrogen sulfide in lipid membranes. PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e34562. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen KY, Morris JC. Kinetics of oxidation of aqueous sulfide by oxygen. Environ Sci Technol. 1972;6(6):529–537.

Publication types