Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a gas most commonly associated with the smell of stink bombs, sewage and rotten eggs, but a team of researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England and King's College London have now identified a role for this gas in regulating blood pressure, according to research published in the leading science journal "Circulation".
The research team has previously shown that H2S is produced naturally within our bodies, along with other gaseous molecules such as nitric oxide and that a balance between these gases relates to good health, whereas an imbalance could indicate disease. In the case of high blood pressure, a reduction in nitric oxide results in increased blood pressure, while H2S may counteract this.
H2S works by relaxing vascular tissue and improving the flexibility of veins and arteries, making for a smoother flow of blood around the body. In the past, limited studies on H2S could be performed as the only approach available to researchers was to use H2S gas from a cylinder or the highly toxic compound sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS), often administered as a bolus.