skip to main content


Title: Alkylsulfenyl thiocarbonates: precursors to hydropersulfides potently attenuate oxidative stress
The recent discovery of the prevalence of hydropersulfides (RSSH) species in biological systems suggests their potential roles in cell regulatory processes. However, the reactive and transient nature of RSSH makes their study difficult, and dependent on the use of donor molecules. Herein, we report alkylsulfenyl thiocarbonates as a new class of RSSH precursors that efficiently release RSSH under physiologically relevant conditions. RSSH release kinetics from these precursors are tunable through electronic modification of the thiocarbonate carbonyl group's electrophilicity. In addition, these precursors also react with thiols to release RSSH with a minor amount of carbonyl sulfide (COS). Importantly, RSSH generation by these precursors protects against oxidative stress in H9c2 cardiac myoblasts. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of these precursors to increase intracellular RSSH levels.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1900285
PAR ID:
10284517
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Chemical Science
Volume:
12
Issue:
23
ISSN:
2041-6520
Page Range / eLocation ID:
8252 to 8259
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. S-Nitrosothiol (RS-NO) formation in proteins and peptides have been implicated as factors in the etiology of many diseases and as possible regulators of thiol protein function. They have also been proposed as possible storage forms of nitric oxide (NO). However, despite their proposed functions/roles, there appears to be little consensus regarding the physiological mechanisms of RS-NO formation and degradation. Hydropersulfides (RSSH) have recently been discovered as endogenously generated species with unique reactivity. One important reaction of RSSH is with RS-NO, which leads to the degradation of RS-NO as well as the release of NO. Thus, it can be speculated that RSSH can be a factor in the regulation of steady-state RS-NO levels, and therefore may be important in RS-NO (patho)physiology. Moreover, RSSH-mediated NO release from RS-NO may be a possible mechanism allowing RS-NO to serve as a storage form of NO. 
    more » « less
  2. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exhibits protective effects in cardiovascular disease such as myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, cardiac hypertrophy, and atherosclerosis. Despite these findings, its mechanism of action remains elusive. Recent studies suggest that H2S can modulate protein activity through redox-based post-translational modifications of protein cysteine residues forming hydropersulfides (RSSH). Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that reactive sulfur species, including RSSH and polysulfides, exhibit cardioprotective action. However, it is not clear yet whether there are any pharmacological differences in the use of H2S vs. RSSH and/or polysulfides. This study aims to examine the differing cardioprotective effects of distinct reactive sulfur species (RSS) such as H2S, RSSH, and dialkyl trisulfides (RSSSR) compared with canonical ischemic post-conditioning in the context of a Langendorff ex-vivo myocardial I/R injury model. For the first time, a side-by-side study has revealed that exogenous RSSH donation is a superior approach to maintain post-ischemic function and limit infarct size when compared with other RSS and mechanical post-conditioning. Our results also suggest that RSSH preserves mitochondrial respiration in H9c2 cardiomyocytes exposed to hypoxia-reoxygenation via inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation while preserving cell viability. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract

    This review focuses on utilization of the excited statemetaeffect (ESME) in the development of photolabile protecting groups (PPGs). Structurally simple ESME‐based PPGs for release of various functional groups (such as carbonyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino and thiol groups) are discussed. Examples that demonstrate the appealing advantages of these new PPGs are provided, including their efficient release of “poor” leaving groups such as hydroxyl or amino group directly instead of in their respective carbonate or carbamate form. Applications of these PPGs in synthesis, release of biologically important molecules, materials science and biomedical engineering are also described.

     
    more » « less
  4. Sulfane sulfurs, which include hydropersulfides (RSSH), hydrogen polysulfides (H2Sn, n > 1), and polysulfides (RSnR, n > 2), play important roles in cellular redox biology and are closely linked to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling. While most studies on sulfane sulfur detection have focused on sulfane sulfurs in the whole cell, increasing the recognition of the effects of reactive sulfur species on the functions of various subcellular organelles has emerged. This has driven a need for organelle-targeted detection methods. However, the detection of sulfane sulfurs, particularly of RSSH and H2Sn, in biological systems is still a challenge due to their low endogenous concentrations and instabilities. In this review, we summarize the development and design of organelle-targeted fluorescent sulfane sulfur probes, examine their organelle-targeting strategies and choices of fluorophores (e.g., ratiometric, near-infrared, etc.), and discuss their mechanisms and ability to detect endogenous and exogenous sulfane sulfur species. We also present the advantages and limitations of the probes and propose directions for future work on this topic. 
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)
    Platinum coordination complexes have found wide applications as chemotherapeutic anticancer drugs in synchronous combination with radiation (chemoradiation) as well as precursors in focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) for nano-scale fabrication. In both applications, low-energy electrons (LEE) play an important role with regard to the fragmentation pathways. In the former case, the high-energy radiation applied creates an abundance of reactive photo- and secondary electrons that determine the reaction paths of the respective radiation sensitizers. In the latter case, low-energy secondary electrons determine the deposition chemistry. In this contribution, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study on the role of LEE interactions in the fragmentation of the Pt(II) coordination compound cis-PtBr2(CO)2. We discuss our results in conjunction with the widely used cancer therapeutic Pt(II) coordination compound cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2 (cisplatin) and the carbonyl analog Pt(CO)2Cl2, and we show that efficient CO loss through dissociative electron attachment dominates the reactivity of these carbonyl complexes with low-energy electrons, while halogen loss through DEA dominates the reactivity of cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2. 
    more » « less