Reactive Sulfur Species in human diseases.

Abstract

Reactive sulfur species (RSS) have been recently recognized as redox molecules no less important than reactive oxygen or nitrogen species. They possess regulatory and protective properties and are involved in various metabolic processes thereby contributing to the maintenance of human health. It has been documented that many disorders, including neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus and cancer are related to the disruption of RSS homeostasis. There is still a growing interest in the role of RSS in human diseases. Since a decrease in H2S or other RSS has been reported in many disorders, safe and efficient RSS donors have been developed and tested under in vitro conditions or on animal models. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus are currently the most common chronic diseases worldwide due to stressful and unhealthy lifestyles. In addition, because of high prevalence and aging of the population, neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease as well as respiratory diseases are a formidable challenge for health care systems. From this point of view, the knowledge of the role of RSS in these disorders and RSS modulation options are important and could be useful in therapeutic strategies. Improvement and standardization of analytical methods used for RSS estimation are crucial for the use RSS as diagnostic biomarkers. Finding good, safe RSS donors applicable for therapeutic purposes could be useful as primary or adjunctive therapy in many common diseases.