14 DAY TRIAL // People suffering with arthritis could feel better should they agree to let doctors inject a hydrogen sulphide-based drug in their joints.
This chemical compound is commonly used to manufacture stink bombs. Researchers explain that its presence in these bombs is what causes the latter to let out that foul smell that many consider not all that different from the smell of rotten eggs.
British researchers writing in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine say that, as unpleasant as hydrogen sulphide might be when used to make stink bombs, this chemical compound could prove fairly efficient in treating arthritis-induced joint pains.
The researchers say that they have succeeded in developing a drug that works by releasing small amounts of said gas inside the joints of arthritis sufferers.
By the looks of it, this gas' presence in the patients' hips, knees, wrist and tissues could help kept their bodies from releasing a series of compounds that are known to trigger an inflammatory response in the tissues that become exposed to them.
For the time being, the drug is yet to be tested on humans, Daily Mail informs us.
The researchers who developed it hope that it will not be long until they are given permission to roll out a clinical study and further investigate the health benefits associated with hydrogen sulphide-based drugs.
“The finding that hydrogen sulphide is able to reduce joint inflammation in experimental models makes it a very exciting prospect for treating arthritis,” researcher Dr. Julie Keeble reportedly stated.
“It is particularly intriguing, as it shows that even once inflammation has already happened in the joint, it can be effectively reduced using this substance. But it has not yet been tested in humans or people with arthritis,” a spokesperson for Arthritis Research UK said.
Several other studies have shown that hydrogen sulphide could also constitute a treatment option for conditions such as asthma, diabetes and even heart disease.