Hydrogen Sulfide in Bone Tissue Regeneration and Repair: State of the Art and New Perspectives

Abstract

The importance of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the regulation of multiple physiological functions has been clearly recognized in the over 20 years since it was first identified as a novel gasotransmitter. In bone tissue H2S exerts a cytoprotective effect and promotes bone formation. Just recently, the scientific community has begun to appreciate its role as a therapeutic agent in bone pathologies. Pharmacological administration of H2S achieved encouraging results in preclinical studies in the treatment of systemic bone diseases, such as osteoporosis; however, a local delivery of H2S at sites of bone damage may provide additional opportunities of treatment. Here, we highlight how H2S stimulates multiple signaling pathways involved in various stages of the processes of bone repair. Moreover, we discuss how material science and chemistry have recently developed biomaterials and H2S-donors with improved features, laying the ground for the development of H2S-releasing devices for bone regenerative medicine. This review is intended to give a state-of-the-art description of the pro-regenerative properties of H2S, with a focus on bone tissue, and to discuss the potential of H2S-releasing scaffolds as a support for bone repair.

Association of Hydrogen Sulfide with Femoral Bone Mineral Density in Osteoporosis Patients: A Preliminary Study

“…In this study, we found that patients with osteoporosis were older and the proportion of women with osteoporosis was significantly higher among the 100 participants, which is consistent with the previous reports [ 43 – 45 , 51 ]. Evidence for a role of H 2 S in bone tissue repair and regeneration is emerging as H 2 S is being shown to regulate the migration and survival of cells involved in bone formation and breakdown [ 22 ]. Specifically, H 2 S promotes the proliferation and survival of mesenchymal stem cells that give rise to the fracture callus [ 52 ].…”

Implications of hydrogen sulfide in liver pathophysiology: Mechanistic insights and therapeutic potential

“…Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is previously described as a toxic gas for a long time [1] . However, mounting evidence suggests its critical roles in numerous biological functions, especially in the cardiovascular [2] , [3] , central nervous [4] , [5] , [6] , and other systems [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] . It has been proposed that endogenous H 2 S in mammal systems is mainly generated by either enzymatic or non-enzymatic pathways.…”

Hydrogen Sulfide Promotes Cardiomyocyte Proliferation and Heart Regeneration via ROS Scavenging

“…H 2 S regulates a variety of cellular signals and is involved in the regulation of cell death, differentiation, and proliferation [19]. It has been widely accepted that H 2 S is not only a secondary reaction product but also a critical mediator of the pathophysiological processes of many diseases.…”

“…It has been widely accepted that H 2 S is not only a secondary reaction product but also a critical mediator of the pathophysiological processes of many diseases. Over the past few years, a broad range of studies has shown that H 2 S plays important roles in renal ischemic injury repair [32] Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity and renal fibrosis alleviation [33], lung disease repair [34], burn healing [35], and bone damage repair and bone regeneration [19]. In particular, the effects of H 2 S in cardiac ischemia injury repair and function preservation have been well studied.…”

“…In mammalian tissues, H 2 S is produced by both nonenzymatic and enzymatic catalysis, with cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionineγ-lyase (CSE) enzyme catalysis being dominant [17]. H 2 S has been widely accepted to exhibit protective properties in many organs [18,19], especially in the heart in the context of damage such as that from myocardial infarction (MI), ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), arrhythmia, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, and heart failure [20,21]. However, whether H 2 S plays an essential role during heart regeneration is still unknown.…”