Sulfide enhancement of PMN apoptosis

Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic metabolite released by several bacterial agents under anaerobic conditions. In the present paper, we investigated the effects of sulfide on polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) apoptosis, a mechanism suggested for limiting the toxic potential of neutrophils in inflammatory sites. We showed that 1 mM sulfide (concentration not conditioning PMN viability) is able to enhance the apoptotic fate of human granulocytes by increasing: i) the number of cells containing pyknotic nuclei, ii) the internucleosomal cleavage, and, iii) the intensity of tubulin immunofluorescence staining. The sulfide effect is partially prevented by ionomycin and this finding is consistent with the hypothesis of the inhibiting role played by high levels of cytosolic calcium in PMN apoptosis modulating.