R&D Director Parthenogen, Lugano, Switzerland.
Mol Med. 2020 Sep 29;26(1):90. doi: 10.1186/s10020-020-00216-9.
Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is a natural defence against the infections from enveloped RNA viruses and is likely involved also in Covid 19. It was already shown to inhibit growth and pathogenic mechanisms of a variety of enveloped RNA viruses and it was now found that circulating HS is higher in Covid 19 survivors compared to fatal cases. HS release is triggered by carbon monoxide (CO) from the catabolism of heme by inducible heme oxygenase (HO-1) and heme proteins possess catalytic activity necessary for the HS signalling by protein persulfidation. Subjects with a long promoter for the HMOX1 gene, coding for HO-1, are predicted for lower efficiency of this mechanism. SARS-cov-2 exerts ability to attack the heme of hemoglobin and other heme-proteins thus hampering both release and signalling of HS. Lack of HS-induced persulfidation of the K channels of leucocytes causes adhesion and release of the inflammatory cytokines, lung infiltration and systemic endothelial damage with hyper-coagulability. These events largely explain the sex and age distribution, clinical manifestations and co-morbidities of Covid-19. The understanding of this mechanism may be of guidance in re-evaluating the ongoing therapeutic strategies, with special attention to the interaction with mechanical ventilation, paracetamol and chloroquine use, and in the individuation of genetic traits causing increased susceptibility to the disruption of these physiologic processes and to a critical Covid 19. Finally, an array of therapeutic interventions with the potential to clinically modulate the HO-1/CO/HS axis is already available or under development. These include CO donors and HS donors and a boost to the endogenous production of HS is also possible.
硫化氢 (HS) 是一种天然防御机制,可以抵抗包膜 RNA 病毒的感染,而且可能也与 COVID-19 相关。它已被证明可以抑制多种包膜 RNA 病毒的生长和致病机制,现在发现 COVID-19 幸存者的循环 HS 水平高于死亡病例。HS 的释放是由诱导型血红素加氧酶 (HO-1) 分解血红素产生的一氧化碳 (CO) 触发的,而血红素蛋白具有通过蛋白过硫化进行 HS 信号传递所需的催化活性。具有长启动子的 HMOX1 基因编码 HO-1 的个体,其这种机制的效率较低。SARS-CoV-2 具有攻击血红蛋白和其他血红素蛋白的血红素的能力,从而阻碍 HS 的释放和信号传递。白细胞 K 通道缺乏 HS 诱导的过硫化会导致白细胞黏附和炎症细胞因子的释放、肺浸润和全身内皮损伤伴高凝状态。这些事件在很大程度上解释了 COVID-19 的性别和年龄分布、临床表现和合并症。对这一机制的理解可能有助于重新评估正在进行的治疗策略,特别要注意与机械通气、对乙酰氨基酚和氯喹使用的相互作用,以及引起这些生理过程中断和严重 COVID-19 的易感性增加的遗传特征的个体化。最后,已经有一系列具有临床潜力的治疗干预措施可以调节 HO-1/CO/HS 轴,这些措施包括 CO 供体和 HS 供体,并且还可以促进内源性 HS 的产生。