Elemental sulfur is widely known to occr in microorganisms, plants, and fungi, but whether mammals produce and use elemental sulfur has remained unclear.Now, a collaborative team has finally answered this question, discovering that mammalian cells and tissues produce and store cyclo-octasulfur - a stable form of elemental sulfur composed of eight sulfur atoms arranged in a ring.
Mammalian cells and tissues produce and store cyclo-octasulfur, S₈, in mitochondria and lipid droplets. S₈ accumulates at high levels in human breast cancer tissues and is associated with changes in supersulfide-related metabolites in exhaled breath condensate. S₈ reacts with glutathione to generate antioxidant supersulfides, suppressing lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Local S₈ administration also reduces lipid peroxidation in a mouse osteoarthritis model.
Uladzimir Barayeu, Seiryo Ogata, Tsuyoshi Takata, Minkyung Jung, et al.
Advertisement
