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Chemical foundations of hydrogen sulfide biology
Open accessAbstract
Following nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide) and carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide (or its newer systematic name sulfane, H2S) became the third small molecule that can be both toxic and beneficial depending on the concentration. In spite of its impressive therapeutic potential, the underlying mechanisms for its beneficial effects remain unclear. Any novel mechanism has to obey fundamental chemical principles. H2S chemistry was studied long before its biological relevance was discovered, however, with a few exceptions, these past works have received relatively little attention in the path of exploring the mechanistic conundrum of H2S biological functions. This review calls attention to the basic physical and chemical properties of H2S, focuses on the chemistry between H2S and its three potential biological targets: oxidants, metals and thiol derivatives, discusses the applications of these basics into H2S biology and methodology, and introduces the standard terminology to this youthful field.
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“Therefore, at physiological pH H2S exists largely (75-80%) in the form of the hydrosulfide anion (HS -), with negligible amounts of S 2- [8,9], and very little of it is in the form of the dissolved uncharged gas [9].”
From On the chemical biology of the nitrite/sulfide interaction (2015) · cites this paper as [9]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Li, Q., & Lancaster, J. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (US)
- Corresponding author
- Li, Qian
- Venue
- Nitric Oxide
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-11
- Volume
- 35
- Pages
- 21-34
- ISSN
- 1089-8603 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3843984
- OpenAlex
- W2070744732
- Cited by
- 334
- References
- 317
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 2.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nitric Oxide (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- NIH grant CA-131653
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Sulfur Compounds in Biology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Redox biology and oxidative stress
- Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Catalysis › Catalysis and Hydrodesulfurization Studies
- Keywords
- hydrogen sulfide, sulfanes, gasotransmitters, redox chemistry, metal sulfides, thiol derivatives, oxidizing agents
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Biochemistry, Heme, Humans, Hydrogen Sulfide, Metals, Oxides, Sulfhydryl Compounds, Mice
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