Recent Development of Hydrogen Sulfide Releasing/Stimulating Reagents and Their Potential Applications in Cancer and Glycometabolic Disorders

As an important endogenous gaseous signaling molecule, hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) exerts various effects in the body. A variety of pathological changes, such as cancer, glycometabolic disorders, and diabetes, are associated with altered endogenous levels of H(2)S, especially decreased. Therefore, the supplement of H(2)S is of great significance for the treatment of diseases containing the above pathological changes. At present, many efforts have been made to increase the in vivo levels of H(2)S by administration of gaseous H(2)S, simple inorganic sulfide salts, sophisticated synthetic slow-releasing controllable H(2)S donors or materials, and using H(2)S stimulating agents. In this article, we reviewed the recent development of H(2)S releasing/stimulating reagents and their potential applications in two common pathological processes including cancer and glycometabolic disorders.