Nature Medicine
Image: Lhopfan
Hydrogen sulfide has a bad reputation, and deservedly so: not only does the gas smell of rotten eggs, but it is also so toxic that in large quantities it can cause respiratory failure and even death. But over the last 20 years, biologists have learned that the gas also helps keep the circulatory system functioning properly. Now physiologist Ingrid Fleming and her collaborators speculate that people with atherosclerosis might actually benefit from taking an oral supplement that generates hydrogen sulfide inside their bodies.
Cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, is the main cause of death worldwide and has been a health problem for millennia. Studies of ancient mummies suggest that atherosclerosis was a common problem for the social elite of Egypt even 3,500 years ago. As such, new treatments for the condition are urgently required.
Researchers already knew that an enzyme—cystathionine-gamma-lyase (CSE)—in cells lining the body’s blood vessels naturally generate small quantities of hydrogen sulfide. They also suspected from earlier studies that this hydrogen sulfide helps fight the build-up of plaque and narrowing of arteries associated with atherosclerosis. But exactly how CSE is activated in the body (and how the hydrogen sulfide it generates helps combat circulatory problems) has been unclear. Read more on the Nature Medicine website…
