Hydrogen Sulfide as Potential Regulatory Gasotransmitter in Arthritic Diseases

Abstract

The social and economic impact of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, explains the growing interest of the research in this field. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the endogenous gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) were recently demonstrated in the context of different inflammatory diseases. In particular, H 2 S is able to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory mediations by lymphocytes and innate immunity cells. Considering these biological effects of H 2 S, a potential role in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), can be postulated. However, despite the growing interest in H 2 S, more evidence is needed to understand the pathophysiology and the potential of H 2 S as a therapeutic agent. Within this review, we provide an overview on H 2 S biological effects, on its role in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, on H 2 S releasing drugs, and on systems of tissue repair and regeneration that are currently under investigation for potential therapeutic applications in arthritic diseases.

Interrogation of the Perturbed Gut Microbiota in Gouty Arthritis Patients Throughin silicoMetabolic Modeling

“…Since H 2 S is a common byproduct of cysteine degradation (42, 43), the ability of butyrate producers to synthesize L-cysteine could be related to the potential for elevated H 2 S production in the low gout cluster. These predictions along with previous studies showing H 2 S as a possible inducer of inflammation (44, 45) suggested a possible role for H 2 S specifically and sulfur-containing amino acids more generally in the perturbed microbiota of gout patients. As observed with amino acids, maximal production of the seven non-differentially produced byproducts was similar between the two clusters with elevated synthesis by Bacteroides in the high gout cluster being balanced with increased synthesis by butyrate producers and Megamonas in the low gout cluster (Fig.…”

The Role of Host-Generated H2S in Microbial Pathogenesis: New Perspectives on Tuberculosis

“…The studies mentioned above and numerous others have employed inhibitors of CSE and CBS (PAG and AOAA, respectively), L-cysteine and the H 2 S donors NaHS and GYY4137, as well as Cse −/− mice within various macrophage inflammatory models, which clearly established H 2 S as an effector molecule involved in resolution of inflammation by driving macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype ( Castelblanco et al., 2018 ; Zhou et al., 2019 ; Sunzini et al., 2020 ). Similarly, macrophages infected with Mtb exhibited increased CSE expression and H 2 S levels leading to an anti-inflammatory or M2 macrophage phenotype.…”

Hyperhomocysteinemia and Cardiovascular Disease: Is the Adenosinergic System the Missing Link?

“…The role of H 2 S in vascular diseases, inflammation, critical illness, reperfusion injury, various nervous system diseases, metabolic diseases and cancer was extensively reviewed [ 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]. Evidence in support of a role of H 2 S deficiency in vascular disorders, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, is accumulating [ 79 , 80 ].…”