Abstract:
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a small gaseous molecule which is known to be a
toxic air pollutant. It is now widely recognised as a gasotransmitter, which has a vital
role in many physiological processes. It protects human tissues from inflammation,
helps in vasodilation, H2S secreted by enteric bacteria in small concentration helps in
smooth functioning of gastrointestinal processes. However, delivery of H2S to
biological systems is a cumbersome process, it is a small gaseous molecule, and
hence it is highly diffusible. Sulfide salts like Na2S and NaSH are widely used in the
delivery of H2S in laboratories. But it’s rapid, uncontrolled release of H2S is a severe
drawback, and hence it cannot be used efficiently in biological systems. To overcome
these difficulties, researchers realised the need for localised delivery of H2S in a
controlled manner. Henceforth researchers have developed several H2S donors with
different triggers. Considering that a light source can be directed to specific targets,
light-activated delivery of H2S can be envisaged as an ideal strategy. This may provide
spatiotemporal control over the release of the gaseous molecule. Different groups
have reported molecule which releases H2S when exposed to light, all these reported
molecules account for the spatiotemporal release of the molecule, but a significant
drawback of these designs was, the wavelength they used has low tissue penetration
and has phototoxic effects. Here we are introducing a new H2S donor which cleaves
under green light, which has no phototoxic effects reported.
