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Current Issues in Molecular Biology 2019Methanethiol (MT) is an organic sulfur compound with a strong and disagreeable odour. It has biogeochemical relevance as an important compound in the global sulfur... (Review)
Review
Methanethiol (MT) is an organic sulfur compound with a strong and disagreeable odour. It has biogeochemical relevance as an important compound in the global sulfur cycle, where it is produced as a reactive intermediate in a number of different pathways for synthesis and degradation of other globally significant sulfur compounds such as dimethylsulfoniopropionate, dimethylsulfide and methionine. With its low odour threshold and unpleasant smell, MT can be a significant cause of malodour originating from animal husbandry, composting, landfill operations, and wastewater treatment and is also associated with faeces, flatus and oral malodour (halitosis). A diverse range of microorganisms drives the production and degradation of MT, including its aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. MT producing and degrading organisms are known to be present in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments but may also be important in association with plant and animal (including human) hosts. This chapter considers the role of MT as an intermediate of the global sulfur cycle and discusses current knowledge of microbial pathways of MT production and degradation.
Topics: Anaerobiosis; Animals; Bacteria; Energy Metabolism; Host Microbial Interactions; Humans; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Odorants; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Sulfur Compounds
PubMed: 31166191
DOI: 10.21775/cimb.033.173 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Oct 2013Quorum sensing is a chemical communication process that bacteria use to regulate collective behaviors. Disabling quorum-sensing circuits with small molecules has been...
Quorum sensing is a chemical communication process that bacteria use to regulate collective behaviors. Disabling quorum-sensing circuits with small molecules has been proposed as a potential strategy to prevent bacterial pathogenicity. The human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses quorum sensing to control virulence and biofilm formation. Here, we analyze synthetic molecules for inhibition of the two P. aeruginosa quorum-sensing receptors, LasR and RhlR. Our most effective compound, meta-bromo-thiolactone (mBTL), inhibits both the production of the virulence factor pyocyanin and biofilm formation. mBTL also protects Caenorhabditis elegans and human lung epithelial cells from killing by P. aeruginosa. Both LasR and RhlR are partially inhibited by mBTL in vivo and in vitro; however, RhlR, not LasR, is the relevant in vivo target. More potent antagonists do not exhibit superior function in impeding virulence. Because LasR and RhlR reciprocally control crucial virulence factors, appropriately tuning rather than completely inhibiting their activities appears to hold the key to blocking pathogenesis in vivo.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Biofilms; Caenorhabditis elegans; Cell Line; Escherichia coli; Humans; Lactones; Microarray Analysis; Molecular Structure; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pyocyanine; Quorum Sensing; Respiratory Mucosa; Sulfur Compounds; Trans-Activators; Virulence
PubMed: 24143808
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1316981110 -
Marine Drugs Apr 2021The review focuses on sulfated steroids that have been isolated from seaweeds, marine sponges, soft corals, ascidians, starfish, and other marine invertebrates.... (Review)
Review
The review focuses on sulfated steroids that have been isolated from seaweeds, marine sponges, soft corals, ascidians, starfish, and other marine invertebrates. Sulfur-containing steroids and triterpenoids are sourced from sedentary marine coelenterates, plants, marine sediments, crude oil, and other geological deposits. The review presents the pharmacological profile of sulfated steroids, sulfur-containing steroids, and triterpenoids, which is based on data obtained using the PASS program. In addition, several semi-synthetic and synthetic epithio steroids, which represent a rare group of bioactive lipids that have not yet been found in nature, but possess a high level of antitumor activity, were included in this review for the comparative pharmacological characterization of this class of compounds. About 140 steroids and triterpenoids are presented in this review, which demonstrate a wide range of biological activities. Therefore, out of 71 sulfated steroids, thirteen show strong antitumor activity with a confidence level of more than 90%, out of 50 sulfur-containing steroids, only four show strong antitumor activity with a confidence level of more than 93%, and out of eighteen epithio steroids, thirteen steroids show strong antitumor activity with a confidence level of 91% to 97.4%.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Aquatic Organisms; Humans; Molecular Structure; Steroids; Structure-Activity Relationship; Sulfur Compounds
PubMed: 33923288
DOI: 10.3390/md19050240 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2024Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, are crucial in combating cancer and aiding in the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents owing to their... (Review)
Review
Natural products, particularly medicinal plants, are crucial in combating cancer and aiding in the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents owing to their biologically active compounds. They offer a promising avenue for developing effective anticancer medications because of their low toxicity, diverse chemical structures, and ability to target various cancers. Allicin is one of the main ingredients in garlic ( L.). It is a bioactive sulfur compound maintained in various plant sections in a precursor state. Numerous studies have documented the positive health benefits of this natural compound on many chronic conditions, including gastric, hepatic, breast, lung, cervical, prostate, and colon cancer. Moreover, allicin may target several cancer hallmarks or fundamental biological traits and functions that influence cancer development and spread. Cancer hallmarks include sustained proliferation, evasion of growth suppressors, metastasis, replicative immortality, angiogenesis, resistance to cell death, altered cellular energetics, and immune evasion. The findings of this review should provide researchers and medical professionals with a solid basis to support fundamental and clinical investigations of allicin as a prospective anticancer drug. This review outlines the anticancer role of allicin in each hallmark of cancer.
Topics: Male; Humans; Plant Extracts; Prospective Studies; Plants, Medicinal; Sulfinic Acids; Disulfides; Antineoplastic Agents; Colonic Neoplasms; Garlic
PubMed: 38542956
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29061320 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2019Oxidation of sulfide to sulfate is known to consist of several steps. Key intermediates in this process are the so-called small oxoacids of sulfur (SOS)-sulfenic HSOH... (Review)
Review
Oxidation of sulfide to sulfate is known to consist of several steps. Key intermediates in this process are the so-called small oxoacids of sulfur (SOS)-sulfenic HSOH (hydrogen thioperoxide, oxadisulfane, or sulfur hydride hydroxide) and sulfoxylic S(OH) acids. Sulfur monoxide can be considered as a dehydrated form of sulfoxylic acid. Although all of these species play an important role in atmospheric chemistry and in organic synthesis, and are also invoked in biochemical processes, they are quite unstable compounds so much so that their physical and chemical properties are still subject to intense studies. It is well-established that sulfoxylic acid has very strong reducing properties, while sulfenic acid is capable of both oxidizing and reducing various substrates. Here, in this review, the mechanisms of sulfide oxidation as well as data on the structure and reactivity of small sulfur-containing oxoacids, sulfur monoxide, and its precursors are discussed.
Topics: Free Radicals; Hydrogen Sulfide; Kinetics; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxides; Peroxides; Safrole; Sulfates; Sulfenic Acids; Sulfides; Sulfur Compounds
PubMed: 31366103
DOI: 10.3390/molecules24152768 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022At the base of the food pyramid is vegetables, which should be consumed most often of all food products, especially in raw and unprocessed form. Vegetables and mushrooms... (Review)
Review
At the base of the food pyramid is vegetables, which should be consumed most often of all food products, especially in raw and unprocessed form. Vegetables and mushrooms are rich sources of bioactive compounds that can fulfill various functions in plants, starting from protection against herbivores and being natural insecticides to pro-health functions in human nutrition. Many of these compounds contain sulfur in their structure. From the point of view of food producers, it is extremely important to know that some of them have flavor properties. Volatile sulfur compounds are often potent odorants, and in many vegetables, belonging mainly to and Allium (), sulfur compounds determine their specific flavor. Interestingly, some of the pathways that form volatile sulfur compounds in vegetables are also found in selected edible mushrooms. The most important odor-active organosulfur compounds can be divided into isothiocyanates, nitriles, epithionitriles, thiols, sulfides, and polysulfides, as well as others, such as sulfur containing carbonyl compounds and esters, R-L-cysteine sulfoxides, and finally heterocyclic sulfur compounds found in shiitake mushrooms or truffles. This review paper summarizes their precursors and biosynthesis, as well as their sensory properties and changes in selected technological processes.
Topics: Agaricales; Cysteine; Esters; Humans; Insecticides; Isothiocyanates; Nitriles; Odorants; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Sulfides; Sulfoxides; Sulfur; Sulfur Compounds; Vegetables
PubMed: 36144849
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27186116 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2022The production process of whisky consists of malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation. Sulfur volatile compounds generated during this process have... (Review)
Review
The production process of whisky consists of malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation. Sulfur volatile compounds generated during this process have long attracted interest because they influence quality in general. More than forty compounds have been reported: they are formed during malting, fermentation, and distillation, but some may decrease in concentration during distillation and maturation. In sensory analysis, sulfur characteristics are described as sulfury, meaty, cereal, feinty, and vegetable, among others. Their contribution to overall quality depends on their concentration, with a positive contribution at low levels, but a negative contribution at high levels. Chemical analyses of sulfur volatiles have been developed by using sulfur-selective detectors and multi-dimensional gas chromatography to overcome the numerous interferences from the matrix. Formation pathways, thresholds, and contribution have not been elucidated completely; therefore, methods for integrating diverse data and knowledge, as well as novel technical innovations, will be needed to control sulfur volatiles in the future.
Topics: Distillation; Fermentation; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Sulfur Compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds
PubMed: 35268773
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27051672 -
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 2022Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease that brings about great social and economic burden, with oxidative stress and inflammation... (Review)
Review
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease that brings about great social and economic burden, with oxidative stress and inflammation affecting the whole disease progress. Sulfur compounds such as hydrogen sulfide (HS), thiols, and persulfides/polysulfides have intrinsic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability, which is engaged in the pathophysiological process of COPD. Hydrogen sulfide mainly exhibits its function by S-sulfidation of the cysteine residue of the targeted proteins. It also interacts with nitric oxide and acts as a potential biomarker for the COPD phenotype. Thiols' redox buffer such as the glutathione redox couple is a major non-enzymatic redox buffer reflecting the oxidative stress in the organism. The disturbance of redox buffers was often detected in patients with COPD, and redressing the balance could delay COPD exacerbation. Sulfane sulfur refers to a divalent sulfur atom bonded with another sulfur atom. Among them, persulfides and polysulfides have an evolutionarily conserved modification with antiaging effects. Sulfur compounds and their relative signaling pathways are also associated with the development of comorbidities in COPD. Synthetic compounds which can release HS and persulfides in the organism have gradually been developed. Naturally extracted sulfur compounds with pharmacological effects also aroused great interest. This study discussed the biological functions and mechanisms of sulfur compounds in regulating COPD and its comorbidities.
PubMed: 36339716
DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.928287 -
The Journal of Nutrition Oct 2020The metabolism of methionine and cysteine in the body tissues determines the concentrations of several metabolites with various biologic activities, including... (Review)
Review
The metabolism of methionine and cysteine in the body tissues determines the concentrations of several metabolites with various biologic activities, including homocysteine, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), taurine, and glutathione. Hyperhomocysteinemia, which is correlated with lower HDL cholesterol in blood in volunteers and animal models, has been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. In humans, the relation between methionine intake and hyperhomocysteinemia is dependent on vitamin status (vitamins B-6 and B-12 and folic acid) and on the supply of other amino acids. However, lowering homocysteinemia by itself is not sufficient for decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease progression. Other compounds related to methionine metabolism have recently been identified as being involved in the risk of atherosclerosis and steatohepatitis. Indeed, the metabolism of sulfur amino acids has an impact on phosphatidylcholine (PC) metabolism, and anomalies in PC synthesis due to global hypomethylation have been associated with disturbances of lipid metabolism. In addition, impairment of H2S synthesis from cysteine favors atherosclerosis and steatosis in animal models. The effects of taurine on lipid metabolism appear heterogeneous depending on the populations of volunteers studied. A decrease in the concentration of intracellular glutathione, a tripeptide involved in redox homeostasis, is implicated in the etiology of cardiovascular diseases and steatosis. Last, supplementation with betaine, a compound that allows remethylation of homocysteine to methionine, decreases basal and methionine-stimulated homocysteinemia; however, it adversely increases plasma total and LDL cholesterol. The study of these metabolites may help determine the range of optimal and safe intakes of methionine and cysteine in dietary proteins and supplements. The amino acid requirement for protein synthesis in different situations and for optimal production of intracellular compounds involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism also needs to be considered for dietary attenuation of atherosclerosis and steatosis risk.
Topics: Amino Acids, Sulfur; Animals; Atherosclerosis; Betaine; Cholesterol; Cysteine; Dietary Proteins; Dietary Supplements; Fatty Liver; Glutathione; Humans; Hydrogen Sulfide; Hyperhomocysteinemia; Lipid Metabolism; Methionine; Nutritional Requirements; Nutritional Status; Phosphatidylcholines; Sulfur; Sulfur Compounds; Taurine
PubMed: 33000164
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa243 -
World Journal of Microbiology &... Mar 2018Fungi are well known for their metabolic versatility, whether it is the degradation of complex organic substrates or the biosynthesis of intricate secondary metabolites.... (Review)
Review
Fungi are well known for their metabolic versatility, whether it is the degradation of complex organic substrates or the biosynthesis of intricate secondary metabolites. The vast majority of studies concerning fungal metabolic pathways for sulfur assimilation have focused on conventional sources of sulfur such as inorganic sulfur ions and sulfur-containing biomolecules. Less is known about the metabolic pathways involved in the assimilation of so-called "alternative" sulfur sources such as sulfides, sulfoxides, sulfones, sulfonates, sulfate esters and sulfamates. This review summarizes our current knowledge regarding the structural diversity of sulfur compounds assimilated by fungi as well as the biochemistry and genetics of metabolic pathways involved in this process. Shared sequence homology between bacterial and fungal sulfur assimilation genes have lead to the identification of several candidate genes in fungi while other enzyme activities and pathways so far appear to be specific to the fungal kingdom. Increased knowledge of how fungi catabolize this group of compounds will ultimately contribute to a more complete understanding of sulfur cycling in nature as well as the environmental fate of sulfur-containing xenobiotics.
Topics: Bacteria; Fungi; Genes, Fungal; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Sulfides; Sulfonamides; Sulfones; Sulfonic Acids; Sulfoxides; Sulfur; Sulfur Compounds; Xenobiotics
PubMed: 29550883
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-018-2435-6