LAUSR

Following the discovery of nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified as the third gasotransmitter in humans. Increasing evidence have shown that H2S is of preventive or therapeutic effects on diverse pathological complications. As a consequence, it is of great significance to develop suitable approaches of H2S‐based therapeutics for biomedical applications. H2S‐releasing agents (H2S donors) play important roles in exploring and understanding the physiological functions of H2S. More importantly, accumulating studies have validated the theranostic potential of H2S donors in extensive repertoires of in vitro and in vivo disease models. Thus, it is imperative to summarize and update the literatures in this field. In this review, first, the background of H2S on its chemical and biological aspects is concisely introduced. Second, the studies regarding the H2S‐releasing compounds are categorized and described, and accordingly, their H2S‐donating mechanisms, biological applications, and therapeutic values are also comprehensively delineated and discussed. Necessary comparisons between related H2S donors are presented, and the drawbacks of many typical H2S donors are analyzed and revealed. Finally, several critical challenges encountered in the development of multifunctional H2S donors are discussed, and the direction of their future development as well as their biomedical applications is proposed. We expect that this review will reach extensive audiences across multiple disciplines and promote the innovation of H2S biomedicine.