Application of hydrogen sulfide donor conjugates in different diseases.

As an endogenous gas signaling molecule, hydrogen sulfide (HS) has been proved to have a variety of biological activities. Studies have shown that in some disease state HS concentration in the body is lower than normal state. Based on these findings, exogenous HS supplementation is expected to be an effective treatment for many diseases. In recent years, a lot of HS-releasing substances, namely HS donors, have emerged as HS sources. Specifically, various HS donors also could be connected to drugs or compounds to form HS donor conjugates. Many studies have found that HS donor conjugates can not only retain the activity of the parent drug, but also reduce the adverse effects of the parent drug, this makes HS donor conjugates to be a new kind of drug candidates. In this article, HS donor conjugates will be reviewed and classified according to different diseases, such as inflammation, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diseases of central nervous system and cancer. This review aims to provide an idea for researchers for further study of HS and HS donor conjugates.