Cakmak Yusuf O
Senior Lecturer, Otago University, School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Dunedin.
N Z Med J. 2017 May 12;130(1455):123-125.
Rotorua city (New Zealand) is known for its 'rotten egg' smell, due to high levels of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) concentrations emitted from local geothermal vents. Studies have shown H2S as potentially toxic if too high in concentration. However, some health benefits have been observed at lower concentrations. This article summarises what is known about effects of H2S on health and postulates whether ambient air inhalation levels of H2S in Rotorua might have a therapeutic role in the management of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD).
Chronic H2S inhalation has been shown to have a protective factor on dopaminergic neurons of animal models of PD. A large-scale survey of long-term Rotorua residents showed no evidence of health detriment nor impairment of cognitive functions. Intriguingly, however, participants in higher H2S exposures showed a tendency for faster motor response times in a finger tapping test. One of the PD Motor Rating Scale examination tests for PD is finger tapping speed, as this is associated with motor performance. Might it be that relatively high, but safe, H2S levels in Rotorua could help protect the degradation of dopaminergic neurons associated with PD?
An observed beneficial link between chronic H2S inhalation in PD animal models and improved finger tapping scores in a sample of the Rotorua population, linked to dopaminergic nerve function, is worth investigating further.
新西兰罗托鲁瓦市因其“臭鸡蛋”气味而闻名，这是由于当地地热喷口释放出的高浓度硫化氢（H₂S）所致。研究表明，如果硫化氢浓度过高，可能具有毒性。然而，在较低浓度下已观察到一些健康益处。本文总结了关于硫化氢对健康影响的已知情况，并推测罗托鲁瓦市空气中硫化氢的吸入水平是否可能在帕金森病（PD）运动症状的管理中具有治疗作用。
慢性吸入硫化氢已被证明对帕金森病动物模型的多巴胺能神经元具有保护作用。对罗托鲁瓦长期居民的大规模调查显示，没有健康受损或认知功能损害的证据。然而，有趣的是，在一项手指敲击测试中，接触硫化氢浓度较高的参与者表现出更快的运动反应时间趋势。帕金森病运动评分量表检查测试之一是手指敲击速度，因为这与运动表现相关。罗托鲁瓦相对较高但安全的硫化氢水平是否有助于保护与帕金森病相关的多巴胺能神经元退化呢？
在帕金森病动物模型中观察到的慢性吸入硫化氢与罗托鲁瓦人群样本中手指敲击分数改善之间的有益联系，与多巴胺能神经功能有关，值得进一步研究。
