What is it about?
Hydrogen sulfide donors prevent cognitive and motor decline in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. One of the ways by which the gas is protective is by modifying glycogen synthase kinase beta and inhibiting its activity. This prevents excessive phosphorylation of Tau and neurotoxicity. The modification elicited by hydrogen sulfide is called persulfidation/sulfhydration, where the -SH groups of reactive cysteine residues on proteins are converted to -SSH groups. In doing so, hydrogen sulfide can modulate protein function. Sulfhydration is decreased in both mouse models of AD as well as human AD. Administering hydrogen sulfide donors rescues this diminished sulfhydration in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of AD. Interestingly, foods such as garlic have precursors of hydrogen sulfide, which may explain some of their beneficial effects.
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Why is it important?
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Currently, there is no cure for the disease. Thus there is an unmet need for development of novel therapeutics.
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This page is a summary of: Hydrogen sulfide is neuroprotective in Alzheimer’s disease by sulfhydrating GSK3β and inhibiting Tau hyperphosphorylation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2017225118.
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