Diet and Hydrogen Sulfide Production in Mammals.

In recent times, it has emerged that some dietary sulfur compounds can act on mammalian cell signaling systems their propensity to release hydrogen sulfide (HS). HS plays important biochemical and physiological roles in the heart, gastrointestinal tract, brain, kidney, and immune systems of mammals. Reduced levels of HS in cells and tissues correlate with a spectrum of pathophysiological conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and altered immune function. In the last decade, researchers have now begun to explore the mechanisms by which dietary-derived sulfur compounds, in addition to cysteine, can act as sources of HS. This research has led to the identified several compounds, organic sulfides, isothiocyanates, and inorganic sulfur species including sulfate that can act as potential sources of HS in mammalian cells and tissues. We have summarised progress made in the identification of dietary factors that can impact on endogenous HS levels in mammals. We also describe current research focused on how some sulfur molecules present in dietary plants, and associated chemical analogues, act as sources of HS, and discuss the biological properties of these molecules as studied in a range of and systems. The identification of sulfur compounds in edible plants that can act as novel HS releasing molecules is intriguing. Research in this area could inform future studies exploring the impact of diet on HS levels in mammalian systems. Despite recent progress, additional work is needed to determine the mechanisms by which HS is released from these molecules following ingestions of dietary plants in humans, whether the amounts of HS produced is of physiological significance following the metabolism of these compounds , and if diet could be used to manipulated HS levels in humans. Importantly, this will lead to a better understanding of the biological significance of HS generated from dietary sources, and this information could be used in the development of plant breeding initiatives to increase the levels of HS releasing sulfur compounds in crops, or inform dietary intervention strategies that could be used to alter the levels of HS in humans.