Atherosclerotic plaques are classically divided into stable and vulnerable plaques. Vulnerable plaques are prone to rupture with a risk for infarction. High intraplaque microvessel density predisposes to plaque vulnerability. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a proangiogenic gasotransmitter which is endogenously produced by cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), and is believed to have vasculoprotective effects....

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays important roles in the enteric system in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. There have been no studies on whether H2S is endogenously generated in peripheral sympathetic ganglia and, if so, its effect on synaptic transmission. In this study, we examined the effect of H2S on cholinergic excitatory fast synaptic transmission in the mouse superior mesenteric gangl...

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a polyglutamine (polyQ) disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the ATXN3 gene resulting in toxic protein aggregation. Inflammation and oxidative stress are considered secondary factors contributing to the progression of this neurodegenerative disease. There is no cure that halts or reverses the progressive neurodegeneration of SCA3. Here we show tha...

Levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gaseous signaling molecule, are reduced in the serum of individuals who smoke. We hypothesized that tobacco smoke influenced smooth muscle relaxation by decreasing H2S levels and this effect could also influence expression of cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) and sulfonylurea receptor-2 (SUR-2). The aim of this study was to explore the effect of tobacco smoke on H2...

The aim of this study was to define the effects of polysulfide on intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) and the underlying machinery, especially from the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO) perspectives, in rat peritoneal mast cells. We found that a polysulfide donor, Na2S4, increased [Ca(2+)]i, which is both extracellular and intracellular Ca(2+) dependent. Intracellular Ca(2...

Hypoxia-induced angiogenesis is a common phenomenon in many physiological and patho-physiological processes. However, the potential differential roles of three hydrogen sulfide producing systems cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE)/H2S, cystathionine β-synthase (CBS)/H2S, and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST)/H2S in hypoxia-induced angiogenesis are still unknown. We found that minor hypoxia (1...

AIMS: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a vasoactive gasotransmitter that is endogenously produced in the vasculature by the enzyme cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE). However, the importance of CSE activity and local H2S generation for ischemic vascular remodeling remains completely unknown. In this study, we examine the hypothesis that CSE critically regulates ischemic vascular remodeling involving H2S ...