Jiang Simin, Chen Yahong
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.
Front Mol Biosci. 2022 Oct 19;9:928287. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.928287. eCollection 2022.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease that brings about great social and economic burden, with oxidative stress and inflammation affecting the whole disease progress. Sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide (HS), thiols, and persulfides/polysulfides have intrinsic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability, which is engaged in the pathophysiological process of COPD. Hydrogen sulfide mainly exhibits its function by S-sulfidation of the cysteine residue of the targeted proteins. It also interacts with nitric oxide and acts as a potential biomarker for the COPD phenotype. Thiols' redox buffer such as the glutathione redox couple is a major non-enzymatic redox buffer reflecting the oxidative stress in the organism. The disturbance of redox buffers was often detected in patients with COPD, and redressing the balance could delay COPD exacerbation. Sulfane sulfur refers to a divalent sulfur atom bonded with another sulfur atom. Among them, persulfides and polysulfides have an evolutionarily conserved modification with antiaging effects. Sulfur compounds and their relative signaling pathways are also associated with the development of comorbidities in COPD. Synthetic compounds which can release HS and persulfides in the organism have gradually been developed. Naturally extracted sulfur compounds with pharmacological effects also aroused great interest. This study discussed the biological functions and mechanisms of sulfur compounds in regulating COPD and its comorbidities.
慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）是一种常见的呼吸系统疾病，会带来巨大的社会和经济负担，氧化应激和炎症影响着整个疾病进程。硫化氢（HS）、硫醇以及过硫化物/多硫化物等含硫化合物具有内在的抗氧化和抗炎能力，参与了COPD的病理生理过程。硫化氢主要通过对靶蛋白半胱氨酸残基进行S-硫化来发挥其功能。它还与一氧化氮相互作用，并作为COPD表型的潜在生物标志物。硫醇的氧化还原缓冲体系，如谷胱甘肽氧化还原对，是反映机体氧化应激的主要非酶氧化还原缓冲体系。COPD患者常检测到氧化还原缓冲体系的紊乱，纠正这种平衡可延缓COPD的急性加重。链烷硫是指与另一个硫原子键合的二价硫原子。其中，过硫化物和多硫化物具有进化上保守的抗衰老修饰作用。含硫化合物及其相关信号通路也与COPD合并症的发生发展有关。能在生物体内释放HS和过硫化物的合成化合物已逐渐被研发出来。具有药理作用的天然提取含硫化合物也引起了人们极大的兴趣。本研究讨论了含硫化合物在调节COPD及其合并症中的生物学功能和机制。
