Interdepartmental Center for Preclinical and Clinical Research in Sexual Medicine (CIRMS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Nat Rev Urol. 2011 May;8(5):286-9. doi: 10.1038/nrurol.2011.45. Epub 2011 Apr 5.
Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is a gaseous transmitter involved in the control of vascular homeostasis. H(2)S is formed endogenously from L-cysteine or L-methionine by two enzymes, cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE), and normally circulates in blood. Studies from the past few years have demonstrated the involvement of H(2)S in erectile mechanisms in animal and human tissues. Exogenous H(2)S relaxes human and animal tissues in vitro and increases intracavernous pressure in experimental animal models. Electrical field stimulation studies on animal and human tissues have demonstrated that endogenous H(2)S is involved in the physiological control of penile tone. In humans, both CBS and CSE are widely expressed on trabecular muscle, implying that the smooth muscle component is the major source of H(2)S. Thus, the L-cysteine-H(2)S pathway may represent a promising target for development of new therapeutics for erectile dysfunction.
硫化氢（H2S）是一种参与血管内环境稳定控制的气态递质。H2S 由 L-半胱氨酸或 L-蛋氨酸通过两种酶胱硫醚β-合酶（CBS）和胱硫醚γ-裂合酶（CSE）内源性形成，并在血液中循环。过去几年的研究表明 H2S 参与了动物和人体组织中的勃起机制。外源性 H2S 在体外松弛人和动物组织，并增加实验动物模型中的海绵体压力。对动物和人体组织的电场刺激研究表明，内源性 H2S 参与阴茎张力的生理控制。在人类中，CBS 和 CSE 广泛表达于小梁肌上，这意味着平滑肌成分是 H2S 的主要来源。因此，L-半胱氨酸-H2S 途径可能是开发治疗勃起功能障碍新疗法的有前途的靶点。
