H(2)S Donors and Their Use in Medicinal Chemistry

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is a ubiquitous gaseous signaling molecule that has an important role in many physiological and pathological processes in mammalian tissues, with the same importance as two others endogenous gasotransmitters such as NO (nitric oxide) and CO (carbon monoxide). Endogenous H(2)S is involved in a broad gamut of processes in mammalian tissues including inflammation, vascular tone, hypertension, gastric mucosal integrity, neuromodulation, and defense mechanisms against viral infections as well as SARS-CoV-2 infection. These results suggest that the modulation of H(2)S levels has a potential therapeutic value. Consequently, synthetic H(2)S-releasing agents represent not only important research tools, but also potent therapeutic agents. This review has been designed in order to summarize the currently available H(2)S donors; furthermore, herein we discuss their preparation, the H(2)S-releasing mechanisms, and their -biological applications.