This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E protect cells by neutralizing free radicals, such as reactive oxygen species, before they can damage genetic material or cell membranes. Such damage can contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Antioxidants therefore help prevent cellular damage. Antioxidants are not obtained exclusively through the diet; the body can also synthesize them with the help of various enzymes. An international research team led by Takaaki Akaike, a professor at Tohoku University in Sendai, and Dr.
Uladzimir Barayeu, a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, has demonstrated a new mechanism that contributes to the body's production of antioxidants. The researchers showed that mammalian cells produce and store elemental sulfur in a controlled manner as cyclooctasulfur (S₈), a molecule consisting of eight sulfur atoms. The study is published in the journal Science.
At the heart of this protective system is the enzyme eNOS, which is found in many cells. It produces nitric oxide (NO), a molecule that relaxes blood vessels and thereby regulates blood pressure. The researchers have shown for the first time that eNOS has another function: The enzyme produces cyclooctasulfur (S₈), which serves as a storage form of elemental sulfur in cells.
The researchers found particularly high concentrations of these "sulfur rings" in oxygen-dependent mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell, as well as in lipid droplets, which serve as the cell's fat stores. Through chemical reactions, the body can use its supply of S₈ molecules to produce specialized sulfur compounds known as hydropersulfides, which act as antioxidants. Sulfur was an important component of the metabolism of many early forms of life.
Since mitochondria evolved from bacteria, the presence of S₈ within them may point to an ancient biochemical legacy. The international team's findings reveal for the first time a link between primordial sulfur chemistry and modern, oxygen-respiring mammalian cells. The study offers a new perspective on cells' internal antioxidant defenses.
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