Dubious geroprotector
Russian scientists are studying the benefits and harms of gas with an unpleasant odor
Tatiana Perevyazova, ITEB RAS Press Service
Hydrogen sulfide is one of the gases that play an important role in various physiological processes and aging. For a long time it was known mainly as a toxic gas with an unpleasant odor. However, recent studies have shown that its production and decay in the body are well balanced, and it alleviates some age-related pathologies in mammals. A group of scientists from the Institute of Molecular Biology named after Engelgarth RAS, the Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Biology of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences study the role of hydrogen sulfide in the vital activity of organisms. They presented their conclusions and analysis of modern scientific ideas about the benefits and harms of hydrogen sulfide in a review published in the May issue of the journal Aging Research Reviews (Sokolov et al., Hydrogen sulfide in longevity and pathologies: Inconsistency is malodorous).
It is known that hydrogen sulfide is able to slow down aging and increase life expectancy in Caenorhabditis elegans, a free–living roundworm that serves as a model organism for studying geroprotectors. However, hydrogen sulfide has an ambiguous effect on other model organisms. The aim of the scientists' research is to analyze such contradictory effects. They suggested that the difficulties with the use of hydrogen sulfide as a therapeutic agent or geroprotective compound are associated with the different biological effects of this gas on organisms of different taxonomic groups. Also, according to scientists, there is a high probability that for organisms of different levels of biological organization, the same concentrations of hydrogen sulfide can be both toxic and useful. The effects may also vary depending on tissues, organs, and even on circadian rhythms – the "biological clock" of the body.
Analysis of numerous data has shown that the positive effects of hydrogen sulfide can be countered by multiple negative effects, and even toxicity. But, despite the possible side effect, hydrogen sulfide is widely used for medicinal purposes (thermal waters). Pavel Nekrasov, a researcher at ITEB RAS, comments on the study: "In some cases, when an age-related disease poses a serious health hazard, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or hypertension, the positive effect outweighs the risks from using hydrogen sulfide, which is associated with reduced production of this gas in these pathologies. It can be said that the use of hydrogen sulfide donors has a positive effect only against the background of its insufficient production in the body. Such an effect, as we assume, also concerns the geroprotective properties of hydrogen sulfide. Recently, the aspect of the effect of this gas on the regulation of cellular aging, characterized by the formation of senescent cells that produce a cocktail of pro-inflammatory cytokines and accelerate the aging of the body, has been widely studied. Hydrogen sulfide is an important component in the regulation of the formation of cellular aging in the body through various mechanisms. However, we believe that this regulation may consist not only in a decrease, but also in an increase in the number of senescent cells."
The researchers believe that in the future, it may be easier and safer to use an odorous gas, combining therapeutic agents that interact with one or more molecular targets of hydrogen sulfide. Also, promising ways of using hydrogen sulfide as a geroprotector are either an attempt to increase the production of endogenous hydrogen sulfide by pharmaceuticals, or inhibition of enzymes that decompose this gas, which should also lead to an increase in its concentration.
The authors of the study question the geroprotective properties of hydrogen sulfide and believe that its use in combination with other geroprotectors will be safer.
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