Gaseous signaling molecules (GSM): evolution, biological role and involvement in the pathogenesis of diseases (literature review)
Authors: Sukmansky Oleg 
Published: June 2020

Data, presented in this review, show that gaseous signaling
molecules are a common biological system of bioregulators,
which attribute to main kingdoms of life – animals, plants and bacteria.
They confirm the similarity of their origin and developing by evolution.
Gaseous signaling molecules (gasotransmitters) were first discovered
and mostly researched in humans and mammals. Today are known
gaseous signaling molecules such as: nitric oxide and reactive oxygen
species, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, polysulfides and sulfur
dioxide. It is proved that there are more gaseous signaling molecules
and more pathways and mechanisms of their production in bacteria
than in mammals, so their importance in evolution of living organisms on the planet Earth has decreased. However, in the process of
evolution, in connection with the development from simple unicellular organisms into complex, higher multicellular, the number of
functional targets that were influenced by gaseous signaling molecules
has increased, i.e. their role has been getting increasingly complicated.
The endogenous gaseous signaling molecules, produced by bacteria, regulate their metabolism, protect them against antibiotics and
promote their colonization in the host organism. So they play an
important role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases in humans
and animals. On the other side, the endogenous gaseous signaling
molecules of humans and animals have mostly the negative impact on bacteria’s development and increase the host’s resistance to
infections. Published data prove the similarity of function and role in
pathology of gaseous signaling molecules in invertebrates with those
in higher (vertebrate) animals. In particular, this relates to the nervous system and to the role of gaseous signaling molecules in the
formation of memory and behavior.
The gaseous signaling molecules of non-mammal vertebrata – fishes,
amphibians, reptiles, and birds – are especially similar to mammals
and humans. Isolated tissues of brain, eyes and lungs of poikilothermic
non-mammalian vertebrates (fishes, amphibians and reptiles) are used to
study the possible role of gaseous signaling molecules in the pathogenesis
of diseases affecting these organs in humans. Further researches of the
evolution of gaseous signaling molecules by comparing them in living
beings of different levels of development may be useful for exposure of
new ways of application in medicine and adjacent fields. The study of
their role in the pathogenesis of pathological processes increases the possibilities of treatment and prevention of diseases via utilization of gaseous
signaling molecules, their donors, precursors, and inhibitors.
Key words: gaseous signaling molecules, evolution, vertebrate, invertebrate, bacteria, biological action, role in pathology.
For citation: Sukmansky OI. Gaseous signaling molecules (GSM):
evolution, biological role and involvement in the pathogenesis of diseases (literature review). Journal of the National Academy of Medical
Sciences of Ukraine. 2019;25(4):373–382