# Sulfane Sulfurs/SO2: Deciphering Redox Environments and Their Implications in Cardio-Protection

> **NIH NIH F31** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $30,712

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Redox imbalances between reactive sulfur species (RSS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiac
cells contribute to diseases such as ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury and coronary artery disease. Re-
establishing redox homeostasis has been found to cause strong cardioprotective effects such as vasodilation,
antihypertension and antifibrosis. However, this field lacks clear chemical understandings as to how these
systems work. Our long-term goal is to decipher the complicated redox pathways in various stages of cardiac
cell health and use the information to advance cardiovascular therapies by re-establishing redox homeostasis.
Specifically, this project will develop chemical tools that: 1) controllably mimic complex RSS redox environments
focusing on sulfane sulfurs; and 2) simultaneously detect and utilize ROS to trigger sulfur dioxide (SO2)-related
cellular insights and therapeutic advantages. A variety of these chemical tools will be synthesized, and their
structure activity relationships will be optimized using published procedures. We will then explore their
cardioprotective actions in cell models of MI/R injury and test their viabilities for deciphering complex
cardiovascular redox pathways. We expect promising candidates will be identified for future evaluations in animal
models of MI/R and heart failure. The outlined research will take place in Dr. Ming Xian’s chemical biology
laboratory at Brown University. This research environment contains state-of-the-art tools and equipment for
synthetic chemistry and biology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10563113
- **Project number:** 5F31HL158202-02
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Akil Hamsath
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $30,712
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10563113

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10563113, Sulfane Sulfurs/SO2: Deciphering Redox Environments and Their Implications in Cardio-Protection (5F31HL158202-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10563113. Licensed CC0.

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