Hydrogen sulfide preserves intestinal barrier repair function through sulfhydration of RPS20 in experimental colitis

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) have a significantly impaired intestinal barrier. Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) is a gaseous mediator that makes notable contributions in a variety of diseases, such as reducing inflammatory response in colitis. The experimental content includes the establishment of a mouse DSS-induced colitis mouse model, mouse colon epithelial organoids culture, H&E staining and mass spectrometry analysis. We recognized that exogenous H₂S donor-GYY4137 significantly alleviated the symptoms in UC mice models and maintained Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 2 (MCM2) expression. CBS knockdown reduced the expression of sulfhydrated Ribosomal protein S20 (RPS20-ssh) and MCM2 in the mouse colon. Cell experiments indicated that the expression of RPS20-ssh, rather than total expression of RPS20, is responsible.Our investigation indicated that CBS-H₂S axis increases the sulfhydration level of RPS20, leading to enhanced binding between RPS20 and MCM2 mRNA, thereby promoting intestinal epithelial proliferation. This may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for the clinical treatment of colitis.