Hydrogen Sulfide: Investigation into the Effects of Different H2S Donors on the Upregulation of Inflammatory Cytokines

Abstract

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has recently been described as the third gaseous mediator of interest. It has been proposed in the literature [1] , that H2S has a role in inflammation, through the induction of upstream signals, which activate inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, and through this method H2S can give rise to a pro-inflammatory response. This study, therefore, investigated the mechanisms by which H2S contributes to inflammation in vitro, through the use of two sulfide donors, sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) and sodium sulfide (Na2S), to look at the inflammatory mediator release from differentiated U937 monocytic cells.

Through the use of RT-PCR and ELISA experimentation, analysis was carried out using the two sulfide donors at different concentrations and time points. The results found, that there was no difference between the two sulfide donors in the upregulation of inflammatory cytokines. It was also found that the effects of concentration and time were significant in ELISA experiments, but not so with the PCR experiments. However, when either of these compounds were added into an in vitro system using differentiated U937 cells, there was an upregulation of both protein and mRNA expression relative to the untreated control group.