Noxious gases can be good for you!Carbon monoxide, nitric...
Noxious gases can be good for you!Carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide are your friends if you don't see too much of them.There is good and bad news here.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that comes out of the tailpipes of cars and trucks, but is also produced from burning other things with too little air to burn it completely. Nitric oxide (NO) is a poisonous gas in the air we breathe. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a poisonous and very stinky gas that you’ve encountered if you ever smelled a rotten egg.
Did you know that all three of these gases can hurt or even kill people if too much is inhaled? CO can stop your brain and heart from working by blocking oxygen from getting there through the blood. That’s why you’re supposed to have a CO detector in your home. NO is an irritant that can also impair breathing and cause nausea and fatigue. H2S also interferes with the use of oxygen, but at a different level than CO. Instead of stopping oxygen from getting to cells, it stops it from being used to make cells work.
A famous sixteenth century combination physician, alchemist, astrologer, and botanist (among other things) named Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, fortunately shortened to Paracelsus is often quoted as saying, “The dose makes the poison.” By this he meant that things that might be good for you in small dose would often be poisonous at higher doses. We know this is true for oxygen, which we think of as essential for life. Too little and you die, but too much will cause your lungs to leak so you can drown in your own body fluids. Yikes!
Now for the startling part. Your body makes CO, NO and H2S in small amounts that are generally good for you!
Small amounts of CO are made from the breakdown of the red pigment of hemoglobin and some other proteins. That breakdown is part of the normal wear and tear of life. The little CO is good because it helps prevent inflammation, which most of us know as the redness and swelling of cuts or bruises, but is actually usually more subtle yet is an ongoing daily challenge underlying many diseases.
NO is produced from arginine, one of the amino acids building blocks of proteins. At the low concentrations usually produced in the body, NO is involved in signals between nerve cells including in the brain, but is most noted for its ability to cause blood vessels to enlarge. And yup, without NO, all of the Viagra sold on TV wouldn’t help! But, besides making having sex possible, the effects of NO on normal functioning of the body are extremely important.
Study of H2S began most recently among these gases. It appears to have, at very low dose, a similar effect on protection of circulation as does NO. Normally, H2S is produced from another amino acid called cysteine, but it can also be produced from compounds in garlic. So, besides keeping vampires (and some of your more likable acquaintances) away, garlic may protect your heart.
As usual I will end by saying that there is much more complexity to this subject than written here. My goal is to bring some understanding of my field to the general public. Besides possibly also increasing sales of my novel, the outcome will also be a greater appreciation of the importance of basic research in this area of science. Science funding is dreadfully low and threatens to cause our country to lose its leadership besides damaging one of our country’s greatest economic engines.
Please look at the post below about my poisonous novel. It's also good for you.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that comes out of the tailpipes of cars and trucks, but is also produced from burning other things with too little air to burn it completely. Nitric oxide (NO) is a poisonous gas in the air we breathe. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a poisonous and very stinky gas that you’ve encountered if you ever smelled a rotten egg.
Did you know that all three of these gases can hurt or even kill people if too much is inhaled? CO can stop your brain and heart from working by blocking oxygen from getting there through the blood. That’s why you’re supposed to have a CO detector in your home. NO is an irritant that can also impair breathing and cause nausea and fatigue. H2S also interferes with the use of oxygen, but at a different level than CO. Instead of stopping oxygen from getting to cells, it stops it from being used to make cells work.
A famous sixteenth century combination physician, alchemist, astrologer, and botanist (among other things) named Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, fortunately shortened to Paracelsus is often quoted as saying, “The dose makes the poison.” By this he meant that things that might be good for you in small dose would often be poisonous at higher doses. We know this is true for oxygen, which we think of as essential for life. Too little and you die, but too much will cause your lungs to leak so you can drown in your own body fluids. Yikes!
Now for the startling part. Your body makes CO, NO and H2S in small amounts that are generally good for you!
Small amounts of CO are made from the breakdown of the red pigment of hemoglobin and some other proteins. That breakdown is part of the normal wear and tear of life. The little CO is good because it helps prevent inflammation, which most of us know as the redness and swelling of cuts or bruises, but is actually usually more subtle yet is an ongoing daily challenge underlying many diseases.
NO is produced from arginine, one of the amino acids building blocks of proteins. At the low concentrations usually produced in the body, NO is involved in signals between nerve cells including in the brain, but is most noted for its ability to cause blood vessels to enlarge. And yup, without NO, all of the Viagra sold on TV wouldn’t help! But, besides making having sex possible, the effects of NO on normal functioning of the body are extremely important.
Study of H2S began most recently among these gases. It appears to have, at very low dose, a similar effect on protection of circulation as does NO. Normally, H2S is produced from another amino acid called cysteine, but it can also be produced from compounds in garlic. So, besides keeping vampires (and some of your more likable acquaintances) away, garlic may protect your heart.
As usual I will end by saying that there is much more complexity to this subject than written here. My goal is to bring some understanding of my field to the general public. Besides possibly also increasing sales of my novel, the outcome will also be a greater appreciation of the importance of basic research in this area of science. Science funding is dreadfully low and threatens to cause our country to lose its leadership besides damaging one of our country’s greatest economic engines.
Please look at the post below about my poisonous novel. It's also good for you.
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