Hydrogen Sulfide as a Regulator of Systemic Functions in Vertebrates

Abstract

This review deals with new published data and also with our own findings related to the physiological and pathological effects of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), a gasotransmitter, which has recently attracted intense attention. In the organism, hydrogen sulfide is synthesized from cysteine with the involvement of pyridoxal-5′-phosphate-dependent enzymes, cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) or cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE). Under the action of H 2 S, ATP-dependent potassium channels (K АТР ) are activated in vascular smooth muscle cells, neurons, cardiomyocytes, and pancreatic β-cells; this explains the important and extensive role of this agent in the control of vascular tone and contractile activity of cardiomyocytes, in the processes of neurotransmission, and in secretion of insulin. Possible roles of Н 2 S-producing systems in the pathogenesis of arterial and pulmonary hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, and hepatocirrhosis are discussed. A description of some aspects of the action of H 2 S "beyond the nervous system" should, probably, also attract the interest of readers, allowing them to form a clearer view of the role of this gasotransmitter in the control of systemic functions.

Reactivity and Dynamics of H2S, NO, and O2 Interacting with Hemoglobins from Lucina pectinata

“…The interaction between H 2 S and proteins is not limited to molluscs. As a recently recognized messenger in vertebrates with an unknown specific receptor, H 2 S is the subject of a growing number of studies. − Although sulfhydration of target side chains seems to be the principal mode of action of H 2 S, it may bind to particular hemeproteins such as neuroglobin and cytochrome oxidase . Furthermore, the enzyme that produces H 2 S, human cystathionine β-synthase, possesses itself a heme cofactor whose function is not yet known with certainty but may have a regulatory role .…”

Toxic hydrogen sulphide shapes brain anatomy: a comparative study of sulphide‐adapted ecotypes in the Poecilia mexicana complex

“…Endogenous H 2 S plays a role in fine tuning of cell signalling processes (for a review, see Li, Rose & Moore, ). Recently, a neuroprotective function of endogenous H 2 S in the central nervous system of fishes was hypothesized (Puschina & Varaksin, ; Varaksin & Puschina, ; Sachin, Puschina & Varaksin, ). Although the cystathionine‐ γ ‐lyase is a key enzyme for H 2 S synthesis in tissues like liver and gills (cf.…”

“…Although the cystathionine‐ γ ‐lyase is a key enzyme for H 2 S synthesis in tissues like liver and gills (cf. Stipanuk & Ueki, ), endogenous H 2 S is mainly produced in the brain via cystathionine‐ β ‐synthase (CBS), whereby the cerebellum is assumed to be the centre of H 2 S synthesis in the fish brain (Puschina & Varaksin, ; Varaksin & Puschina, ). Surprisingly, the expression rate of the cystathionine‐ γ ‐lyase gene in liver and gill tissues did not differ between Tac fish from non‐sulphidic and sulphidic habitats; when exposed to H 2 S, fish from non‐sulphidic habitats, however, showed a trend towards a higher expression than those from the sulphidic site (Tobler et al ., ).…”