Selenium‐Based Catalytic Scavengers for Concurrent Scavenging of H<sub>2</sub>S and Reactive Oxygen Species
Xiang Ni, Eizo Marutani, Meg Shieh, Yannie Lam, Fumito Ichinose, Ming Xian
Abstract
Abstract Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is an endogenous gasotransmitter that plays important roles in redox signaling. H 2 S overproduction has been linked to a variety of disease states and therefore, H 2 S‐depleting agents, such as scavengers, are needed to understand the significance of H 2 S‐based therapy. It is known that elevated H 2 S can induce oxidative stress with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, such as in H 2 S acute intoxication. We explored the possibility of developing catalytic scavengers to simultaneously remove H 2 S and ROS. Herein, we studied a series of selenium‐based molecules as catalytic H 2 S/H 2 O 2 scavengers. Inspired by the high reactivity of selenoxide compounds towards H 2 S, 14 diselenide/monoselenide compounds were tested. Several promising candidates such as S6 were identified. Their activities in buffers, as well as in plasma‐ and cell lysate‐containing solutions were evaluated. We also studied the reaction mechanism of this scavenging process. Finally, the combination of the diselenide catalyst and photosensitizers was used to achieve light‐induced H 2 S removal. These Se‐based scavengers can be useful tools for understanding H 2 S/ROS regulations.