Emerging roles of hydrogen sulfide in colorectal cancer.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS), an endogenous gasotransmitter, plays a key role in several critical physiological and pathological processes in vivo, including vasodilation, anti-infection, anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, and angiogenesis. In colorectal cancer (CRC), aberrant overexpression of HS-producing enzymes has been observed. Due to the important role of HS in the proliferation, growth, and death of cancer cells, HS can serve as a potential target for cancer therapy. In this review, we thoroughly analyzed the underlying mechanism of action of HS in CRC from the following aspects: the synthesis and catabolism of HS in CRC cells and its effect on cell signal transduction pathways; the inhibition effects of exogenous HS donors with different concentrations on the growth of CRC cells and the underlying mechanism of HS in garlic and other natural products. Furthermore, we elucidate the expression characteristics of HS in CRC and construct a comprehensive HS-related signaling pathway network, which has important basic and practical significance for promoting the clinical research of HS-related drugs.