Description:
University of Oregon researchers are studying reactive sulfur species (RSS).
Detection, Delivery, and Quantification of Biological H2S
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), commonly known for its unpleasant rotten-egg smell, is now accepted as an important enzymatically-produced biomolecule that plays important roles in living systems. Joining CO and NO in a class of molecules often referred to as ‘gasotransmitters’, H2S plays important roles diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, inflammation, neurodegeneration.
As the biomedical applications of H2S continue to emerge rapidly, the development, refinement, and application of robust, reliable and purpose-inspired chemical tools for studying its multifaceted roles are paramount. Aligned with this need, our group is developing new chemical tools to detect and modulate biological H2S. Such tools include fluorescent, chemiluminescent, and colorimetric methods for H2S detection and quantification as well as slow-releasing H2S donor molecules.
For example, administration of H2S results in reduction in blood pressure in hypertensive mice. Although convenient, direct administration of H2S or sulfide-containing salts leads to a large burst of released H2S, which is quickly metabolized/oxidized by cellular components as part of a toxicological response, and merely results in a disruption of redox homeostasis rather than elevated H2S levels. There exists a need in the art for an H2S delivery platform that provides the ability to control the amount and speed of H2S delivery.
Patent # US 10,725,055