Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide is synthesized endogenously in mammals and has been shown to have both physiological and pathological functions. So far there has been little agreement as to the actual levels of endogenous sulfide under physiological or pathological conditions; this is partly due to the complexity involved in measuring free sulfides due to H2S volatility, oxidation, reactivity and the presence of bound labile sulfur in tissues. In this report we describe a method of measuring free tissue sulfides using a zinc sulfide precipitation and wash method. It is an indirect method that measures the sulfide difference between samples prepared at pH 9 and pH 6, assuming that at pH 9 free sulfides would be retained in solution, while at pH 6 free sulfides would volatilize during sample preparation. Using this approach we were able to measure appreciable amounts of free sulfides in mouse: lung, pancreas, liver and kidney at 0.036 + 0.006, 0.082 + 0.009, 0.215 + 0.016 and 0.323 + 0.031 nmole per mg of tissue respectively (n = 6).
Highlights
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless, flammable gas with a characteristic odor of rotten eggs
In this report we describe a method of measuring free tissue sulfides using a zinc sulfide precipitation and wash method
It is an indirect method that measures the sulfide difference between samples prepared at pH 9 and pH 6, assuming that at pH 9 free sulfides would be retained in solution, while at pH 6 free sulfides would volatilize during sample preparation
Summary
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless, flammable gas with a characteristic odor of rotten eggs. In addition to environmental and bacterial sources, mammals are capable of H2S biosynthesis. As such endogenous H2S is increasingly being recognized as a third gaseous signaling molecule after carbon monoxide and nitric oxide. It is still unknown as to which of these (or if both) free sulfide species confer its biological role. Efforts to measure sulfide content in biological samples have so far yielded a wide range, from non-detectable to micromolar levels, based on the different methods employed [7,8,9,10,11]. Sulfides are present in biological systems in the form of free and bound labile sulfides [13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
