Role of H2S in Acute and Chronic inflammation

Abstract

H2S been reported to exhibit both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we evaluated the contribution of the H2S system in two different models of inflammation. In the first model, we fed mice a high fat diet over a period of 16 weeks to induce a chronic low grade inflammatory model. In the second model, we injected mice with LPS to induce an acute inflammatory state. We observed down-regulated CSE expression and reduced H2S biosynthesis in the models of high fat fed and endotoxin tolerant mice. These results give us an insight into the roles of H2S during the early stages of atherosclerosis and endotoxin tolerance. The results also opens up the possibility of using the H2S system as a therapeutic target in early atherosclerosis and endotoxin tolerance.