Many studies have shown that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is both
detrimental and beneficial to animals and plants, whereas its
effect on bacteria is not fully understood. Here, we report that
H2S, released by sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), significantly
inhibits the growth of Escherichia coli in a dose-dependent
manner. Further studies have shown that H2S treatment stimulates
the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and
decreases glutathione (GSH) levels in E. coli, resulting in lipid
peroxidation and DNA damage. H2S also inhibits the antioxidative
enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD),
catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) and induces
the response of the SoxRS and OxyR regulons in E. coli. Moreover,
pretreatment with the antioxidant ascorbic acid (AsA)
could effectively prevent H2S-induced toxicity in E. coli. Taken
together, our results indicate that H2S exhibits an antibacterial
effect on E. coli through oxidative damage and suggest
a possible application for H2S in water and food processing.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Resensitization of Multi Drug-Resistant Aeromonas caviae with Exogenous Hydrogen Sulfide Potentiated Antibiotics Sahithya Selvakumar, Shubhi Singh, Priya Swaminathan Current Microbiology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Metagenomics and metatranscriptomics insights into microbial enhancement of H2S removal and CO2 assimilation Junjie Wang, Zhuowei Cheng, Yunfei Su, Jiade Wang, Dongzhi Chen, Jianmeng Chen, Xiaoming Wu, Aobo Chen, Zhenyu Gu Journal of Environmental Management.2025; 373: 123714. CrossRef
Deep-sea
in situ
and laboratory multi-omics provide insights into the sulfur assimilation of a deep-sea
Chloroflexota
bacterium
Rikuan Zheng, Chong Wang, Chaomin Sun, Christa M. Schleper mBio.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Detection and evaluation of susceptibility to antibiotics in non-hydrogen sulfide-producing antibiotic-resistant soil microbe: Pseudomonas guariconensis Sahithya Selvakumar, Shubhi Singh, Priya Swaminathan International Microbiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Nanomaterials‐Induced Redox Imbalance: Challenged and Opportunities for Nanomaterials in Cancer Therapy Xumeng Wu, Ziqi Zhou, Kai Li, Shaoqin Liu Advanced Science.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
pH-Responsive nanoplatform synergistic gas/photothermal therapy to eliminate biofilms in poly(l-lactic acid) scaffolds Guowen Qian, Yuqian Mao, Huihui Zhao, Lemin Zhang, Long Xiong, Zhisheng Long Journal of Materials Chemistry B.2024; 12(5): 1379. CrossRef
Enhancing cancer treatment via “Zn2+ interference” with Zn-based nanomaterials Yandong Wang, Fucheng Gao, Li Zhao, Yanqiu Wu, Can Li, Hui Li, Yanyan Jiang Coordination Chemistry Reviews.2024; 500: 215535. CrossRef
Effect of H2S and cysteine homeostasis disturbance on ciprofloxacin sensitivity of Escherichia coli in cystine-free and cystine-fed minimal medium Galina Smirnova, Aleksey Tyulenev, Lyubov Sutormina, Tatyana Kalashnikova, Zoya Samoilova, Nadezda Muzyka, Vadim Ushakov, Oleg Oktyabrsky Archives of Microbiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Identification of the organic peroxide scavenging system of
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
and its regulation by OxyR
Junfeng Fan, Xiaofen Mo, Hui Zhang, Linna Xu, Jianhua Yin, Fen Wan, Nicole R. Buan Applied and Environmental Microbiology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
H2S scavenger as a broad-spectrum strategy to deplete bacteria-derived H2S for antibacterial sensitization Jiekai Sun, Xu Wang, Ye Gao, Shuangyu Li, Ziwei Hu, Yan Huang, Baoqiang Fan, Xia Wang, Miao Liu, Chunhua Qiao, Wei Zhang, Yipeng Wang, Xingyue Ji Nature Communications.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Fabricating a PDA-NOate@CuS coated NIR-activatable titanium implant to realize simultaneous antiinfection and osseointegration Jiahuan Liu, Xiaowan Li, Shangyu Xie, Ruirui Ma, Hongfei Wang, Shurong Ban, Chengwu Zhang, Lixia Guo New Journal of Chemistry.2024; 48(25): 11465. CrossRef
Unraveling the potential of hydrogen sulfide as a signaling molecule for plant development and environmental stress responses: A state-of-the-art review Siloni Singh Bhadwal, Shagun Verma, Shahnawaz Hassan, Satwinderjeet Kaur Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.2024; 212: 108730. CrossRef
Gas Therapy: Generating, Delivery, and Biomedical Applications Pejman Ghaffari‐Bohlouli, Hafez Jafari, Oseweuba Valentine Okoro, Houman Alimoradi, Lei Nie, Guohua Jiang, Ashok Kakkar, Amin Shavandi Small Methods.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b drives composition-independent application of biogas in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) synthesis Sunho Park, Shinhyeong Choe, Hyejeong Lee, Jaewook Myung Fuel.2024; 378: 132730. CrossRef
Ahp deficiency-induced redox imbalance leads to metabolic alterations in E. coli Feng Liu, Penggang Han, Nuomin Li, Yongqian Zhang Redox Biology.2023; 67: 102888. CrossRef
Effect of sulfamethazine on the horizontal transfer of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes and its mechanism of action Xiaojing Yan, Wenwen Liu, Shengfang Wen, Lanjun Wang, Lusheng Zhu, Jun Wang, Young Mo Kim, Jinhua Wang Journal of Environmental Sciences.2023; 127: 399. CrossRef
D-cysteine desulfhydrase DCD1 participates in tomato resistance against Botrytis cinerea by modulating ROS homeostasis Yuqi Zhao, Kangdi Hu, Gaifang Yao, Siyue Wang, Xiangjun Peng, Conghe Zhang, Dexin Zeng, Kai Zong, Yaning Lyu, Hua Zhang Vegetable Research.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Bacteria‐Targeted Combined with Photothermal/NO Nanoparticles for the Treatment and Diagnosis of MRSA Infection In Vivo Kai Lv, Guowei Li, Xiangjun Pan, Luxuan Liu, Ziheng Chen, Yu Zhang, Hao Xu, Dong Ma Advanced Healthcare Materials.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Antibiotic Resistance: Challenges and Strategies in Combating Infections Jay Chavada, Komal N Muneshwar, Yash Ghulaxe, Mohit Wani, Prayas P Sarda, Shreyash Huse Cureus.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Enhancement of bio-S0 recovery and revealing the inhibitory effect on microorganisms under high sulfide loading Junjie Wang, Zhuowei Cheng, Jiade Wang, Dongzhi Chen, Jianmeng Chen, Jianming Yu, Songkai Qiu, Dionysios D. Dionysiou Environmental Research.2023; 238: 117214. CrossRef
Enzyme‐Triggered Chemodynamic Therapy via a Peptide‐H2S Donor Conjugate with Complexed Fe2+ Yumeng Zhu, William R. Archer, Katlyn F. Morales, Michael D. Schulz, Yin Wang, John B. Matson Angewandte Chemie.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Antibacterial gas therapy: Strategies, advances, and prospects Tian-Yu Wang, Xiao-Yu Zhu, Fu-Gen Wu Bioactive Materials.2023; 23: 129. CrossRef
Reactive oxygen species-upregulating nanomedicines towards enhanced cancer therapy Yuanyuan Ding, Qingqing Pan, Wenxia Gao, Yuji Pu, Kui Luo, Bin He Biomaterials Science.2023; 11(4): 1182. CrossRef
Chameleon-like Anammox Bacteria for Surface Color Change after Suffering Starvation Jingqi Sun, Yiming Feng, Ru Zheng, Lingrui Kong, Xiaogang Wu, Kuo Zhang, Jianhang Zhou, Sitong Liu Environmental Science & Technology.2023; 57(40): 15087. CrossRef
The Triple Crown: NO, CO, and H2S in cancer cell biology Palak P. Oza, Khosrow Kashfi Pharmacology & Therapeutics.2023; 249: 108502. CrossRef
Stability and biomineralization of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles biosynthesized by the bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris under light Su-Fang Xing, Hui-Fang Tian, Zhen Yan, Chao Song, Shu-Guang Wang Journal of Hazardous Materials.2023; 458: 131937. CrossRef
Intelligent polymeric hydrogen sulfide delivery systems for therapeutic applications Fan Rong, Tengjiao Wang, Qian Zhou, Haowei Peng, Jingtian Yang, Quli Fan, Peng Li Bioactive Materials.2023; 19: 198. CrossRef
Nanoplatform-based cellular reactive oxygen species regulation for enhanced oncotherapy and tumor resistance alleviation Meifang Wang, Ping'an Ma, Jun Lin Chinese Chemical Letters.2023; 34(9): 108300. CrossRef
In situ formation of ferrous sulfide in glycyrrhizic acid hydrogels to promote healing of multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus-infected diabetic wounds Zhuobin Xu, Ze Xu, Jiake Gu, Juan Zhou, Gengyu Sha, Ying Huang, Tong Wang, Lei Fan, Yanfeng Zhang, Juqun Xi Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.2023; 650: 1918. CrossRef
The Conditions Matter: The Toxicity of Titanium Trisulfide Nanoribbons to Bacteria E. coli Changes Dramatically Depending on the Chemical Environment and the Storage Time Olga V. Zakharova, Valeria V. Belova, Peter A. Baranchikov, Anna A. Kostyakova, Dmitry S. Muratov, Gregory V. Grigoriev, Svetlana P. Chebotaryova, Denis V. Kuznetsov, Alexander A. Gusev International Journal of Molecular Sciences.2023; 24(9): 8299. CrossRef
Community ecological study on the reduction of soil antimony bioavailability by SRB-based remediation technologies Min Zhang, Jing Xiong, Lei Zhou, Jingjing Li, Jianqiang Fan, Xing Li, Teng Zhang, Zhuzhong Yin, Huaqun Yin, Xueduan Liu, Delong Meng Journal of Hazardous Materials.2023; 459: 132256. CrossRef
Enzyme‐Triggered Chemodynamic Therapy via a Peptide‐H2S Donor Conjugate with Complexed Fe2+ Yumeng Zhu, William R. Archer, Katlyn F. Morales, Michael D. Schulz, Yin Wang, John B. Matson Angewandte Chemie International Edition.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Enhancement of dissimilatory nitrate/nitrite reduction to ammonium of Escherichia coli sp. SZQ1 by ascorbic acid: Mechanism and performance Zhiqiang Su, Yu Zhang, Ruizhi Zhao, Jiti Zhou Science of The Total Environment.2022; 853: 158423. CrossRef
Mitochondria-targeting Type I AIE photosensitizer combined with H2S therapy: Uninterrupted hydroxyl radical generation for enhancing tumor therapy Tianfu Zhang, Zeming Liu, Wenxue Tang, Daoming Zhu, Meng Lyu, Jacky Wing Yip Lam, Qinqin Huang, Ben Zhong Tang Nano Today.2022; 46: 101620. CrossRef
Generation and Physiology of Hydrogen Sulfide and Reactive Sulfur Species in Bacteria Sirui Han, Yingxi Li, Haichun Gao Antioxidants.2022; 11(12): 2487. CrossRef
Metal sulfide precipitation mediated by an elemental sulfur-reducing thermoacidophilic microbial culture from a full-scale anaerobic reactor Adrian Hidalgo-Ulloa, Cees Buisman, Jan Weijma Hydrometallurgy.2022; 213: 105950. CrossRef
Oxidative stress response system in Escherichia coli arising from diphenyl ditelluride (PhTe)2 exposure F.C. Pinheiro, V.C. Bortolotto, S.M. Araujo, S.F. Couto, M.M.M. Dahleh, M. Cancela, J. Neto, G. Zeni, A. Zaha, M. Prigol Toxicology in Vitro.2022; 83: 105404. CrossRef
On-demand therapeutic delivery of hydrogen sulfide aided by biomolecules Yuxuan Ge, Fan Rong, Wei Li, Yin Wang Journal of Controlled Release.2022; 352: 586. CrossRef
Antibiotic resistance: The challenges and some emerging strategies for tackling a global menace David Chinemerem Nwobodo, Malachy Chigozie Ugwu, Clement Oliseloke Anie, Mushtak T. S. Al‐Ouqaili, Joseph Chinedu Ikem, Uchenna Victor Chigozie, Morteza Saki Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Vitamin C Maintenance against Cell Growth Arrest and Reactive Oxygen Species Accumulation in the Presence of Redox Molecular Chaperone hslO Gene Akihiro Kaidow, Noriko Ishii, Shingo Suzuki, Takashi Shiina, Hirokazu Kasahara International Journal of Molecular Sciences.2022; 23(21): 12786. CrossRef
Cysteine Biosynthesis in Campylobacter jejuni: Substrate Specificity of CysM and the Dualism of Sulfide Noah Hitchcock, David J. Kelly, Andrew Hitchcock, Aidan J. Taylor Biomolecules.2022; 13(1): 86. CrossRef
Transcriptomic analysis of chloride tolerance in Leptospirillum ferriphilum DSM 14647 adapted to NaCl Javier Rivera-Araya, Thomas Heine, Renato Chávez, Michael Schlömann, Gloria Levicán, Benjamin J. Koestler PLOS ONE.2022; 17(4): e0267316. CrossRef
Acute stress of the typical disinfectant glutaraldehyde-didecyldimethylammonium bromide (GD) on sludge microecology in livestock wastewater treatment plants: Effect and its mechanisms Yuxin Li, Jiayin Ling, Jinghao Xue, Junwei Huang, Xiao Zhou, Fei Wang, Waner Hou, Jianbin Zhao, Yanbin Xu Water Research.2022; 227: 119342. CrossRef
Sulfide Treatment Alters Antioxidant Response and Related Genes Expressions in Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus) Liqiao Zhong, Fan Yao, He Zhang, Huaxiao Xie, Huijun Ru, Nian Wei, Zhaohui Ni, Zhong Li, Yunfeng Li Water.2022; 14(20): 3230. CrossRef
Development of Polycaprolactone–Zeolite Nanoporous Composite Films for Topical Therapeutic Release of Different Gasotransmitters Rosana V. Pinto, Sílvia Carvalho, Fernando Antunes, João Pires, Moisés L. Pinto ACS Applied Nano Materials.2022; 5(7): 9230. CrossRef
Cysteine supplementation enhanced inhibitor tolerance of Zymomonas mobilis for economic lignocellulosic bioethanol production Xiongying Yan, Xia Wang, Yongfu Yang, Zhen Wang, Haoyu Zhang, Yang Li, Qiaoning He, Mian Li, Shihui Yang Bioresource Technology.2022; 349: 126878. CrossRef
Natural inactivation of MS2, poliovirus type 1 and Cryptosporidium parvum in an anaerobic and reduced aquifer John T. Lisle, George Lukasik Journal of Applied Microbiology.2022; 132(3): 2464. CrossRef
Hydrogen sulfide in longevity and pathologies: Inconsistency is malodorous Alexander S. Sokolov, Pavel V. Nekrasov, Mikhail V. Shaposhnikov, Alexey A. Moskalev Ageing Research Reviews.2021; 67: 101262. CrossRef
Hydrogen Sulfide and Carbon Monoxide Tolerance in Bacteria Sofia S. Mendes, Vanessa Miranda, Lígia M. Saraiva Antioxidants.2021; 10(5): 729. CrossRef
CBS-derived H2S facilitates host colonization of Vibrio cholerae by promoting the iron-dependent catalase activity of KatB Yao Ma, Xiaoman Yang, Hongou Wang, Zixin Qin, Chunrong Yi, Changping Shi, Mei Luo, Guozhong Chen, Jin Yan, Xiaoyun Liu, Zhi Liu, William Navarre PLOS Pathogens.2021; 17(7): e1009763. CrossRef
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling in plant development and stress responses Hai Liu, Jicheng Wang, Jianhao Liu, Tong Liu, Shaowu Xue aBIOTECH.2021; 2(1): 32. CrossRef
Hydrogen sulfide: An endogenous regulator of the immune system Nahzli Dilek, Andreas Papapetropoulos, Tracy Toliver-Kinsky, Csaba Szabo Pharmacological Research.2020; 161: 105119. CrossRef
Protective Role of Bacterial Alkanesulfonate Monooxygenase under Oxidative Stress Chulwoo Park, Bora Shin, Woojun Park, Maia Kivisaar Applied and Environmental Microbiology.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Hydrogen Sulfide Sensitizes Acinetobacter baumannii to Killing by Antibiotics Say Yong Ng, Kai Xun Ong, Smitha Thamarath Surendran, Ameya Sinha, Joey Jia Hui Lai, Jacqueline Chen, Jiaqi Liang, Leona Kwan Sing Tay, Liang Cui, Hooi Linn Loo, Peiying Ho, Jongyoon Han, Wilfried Moreira Frontiers in Microbiology.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
FeS@BSA Nanoclusters to Enable H2S‐Amplified ROS‐Based Therapy with MRI Guidance Congkun Xie, Dong Cen, Zhaohui Ren, Yifan Wang, Yongjun Wu, Xiang Li, Gaorong Han, Xiujun Cai Advanced Science.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Hydrogen sulfide and environmental stresses John T. Hancock Environmental and Experimental Botany.2019; 161: 50. CrossRef
The H2S Donor GYY4137 Stimulates Reactive Oxygen Species Generation in BV2 Cells While Suppressing the Secretion of TNF and Nitric Oxide Milica Lazarević, Emanuela Mazzon, Miljana Momčilović, Maria Sofia Basile, Giuseppe Colletti, Maria Cristina Petralia, Placido Bramanti, Ferdinando Nicoletti, Đorđe Miljković Molecules.2018; 23(11): 2966. CrossRef
Do nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide really qualify as ‘gasotransmitters’ in bacteria? Lauren K. Wareham, Hannah M. Southam, Robert K. Poole Biochemical Society Transactions.2018; 46(5): 1107. CrossRef