The growing issue of antibiotic resistance necessitates alternative treatments for the highly prevalent Helicobacter pylori infection. A team of scientists has unexpectedly identified hydrogen polysulfide (H₂Sₙ, n≥2) as an active anti-H. pylori compound in garlic, rather than organic polysulfides.
Mechanistic studies reveal that H₂Sₙ specifically inactivates H. pylori glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) by disrupting the electron transfer process between glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺).
However, garlic derivatives produce low yields of H₂Sₙ, limiting their effectiveness as reliable H₂Sₙ donors for treating H. pylori infection.
Increasing yields
To overcome this challenge, Lizeng Gao’s group from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, developed a polysulfide transformation process that converts garlic-derived organosulfur compounds into Fe₃S₄, achieving a 25- to 58-fold increase in H₂Sₙ yield.
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Furthermore, the development of a chitosan-encapsulated gastric-adaptive H₂Sₙ microreactor (GAPSR) significantly enhanced the treatment outcomes. Under gastric conditions, GAPSR demonstrated 250 times higher efficacy in eradicating H. pylori compared to conventional methods. Remarkably, a single GAPSR treatment achieved a faster eradication of H. pylori than combined antibiotic therapy, while preserving gut microbiota integrity.
These findings highlight a novel mechanism of action driven by polysulfides, presenting a promising alternative strategy for combating H. pylori infections.
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