H2S, in recent years, has emerged as an important molecule in signalling and hormone regulation, playing such a role in mammals, plants and other eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In humans, H2S is of particular interest because of its importance in areas such as cardiovascular diseases and roles where its cytoprotectant properties are of use. Like other gaseous transmitters, H2S, diffuses rapidly and functions over small distances, thus understanding its sites of synthesis is critical to understanding its biology. Many enzymes produce H2S, however their roles and relative importance in H2S signalling is not yet known. Recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of polysulfides in oxidative stress and cell signalling, these compounds appearing to produce H2S as a degradation product, leading to the suggestion that H2S is not the primary signalling molcule. This observation has led to our interest in the synthesis of polysulfides and the exploration of their biological functions. We will present our recent advances in the synthesis of a range of polysulfides, as well as the results of biological investigation into the role of polysulfides in H2S production using yeast as a model organism.

Synthesis of polysulfides for understanding the biogenesis of H2S

256th National Meeting (2018)

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