Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (604 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A water-soluble thiol derived from hydrogen sulfide and ethanol. It is used as a reducing agent for disulfide bonds and to protect sulfhydryl groups from oxidation.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: 2-Mercaptoethanol; 2 Mercaptoethanol; 2-ME.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Ethanol; Sulfhydryl Compounds
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 6,167 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Mercaptoethanol” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 78 of them (1.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 5,331 records.
Reviews account for 54 records (0.9%) and meta-analyses for 0. Randomized controlled trials number 13 (0.2%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 5,331 |
| 2000-2009 | 477 |
| 2010-2019 | 281 |
| 2020 onward | 78 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 54 | 0.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 0 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 13 | 0.2% |
Method: PubMed query "Mercaptoethanol"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparison of mesna with forced diuresis to prevent cyclophosphamide induced haemorrhagic cystitis in marrow transplantation: a prospective randomised study | 1984 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 69 | cc by PMID 6437430 · DOI · PMC1977002 |
| Endoplasmic reticulum stress activates transglutaminase 2 leading to protein aggregation | 2014 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 21 | cc by PMID 24481335 · DOI · PMC3976127 |
| Beta-mecaptoethanol suppresses inflammation and induces adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-F442A murine preadipocytes | 2012 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 13 | cc by PMID 22911724 · DOI · PMC3402440 |
Comparison of mesna with forced diuresis to prevent cyclophosphamide induced haemorrhagic cystitis in marrow transplantation: a prospective randomised study [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- A prospective randomised study was carried out to compare the effect of mesna (2-mercaptoethane sulphonate sodium) with that of forced diuresis in preventing cyclophosphamide induced haemorrhagic cystitis in marrow transplant recipients.
- Closing excerpt
- As a result of this study our present policy is to use mesna in all BMT recipients but to continue careful documentation of the incidence of graft failure.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (149 words)
A prospective randomised study was carried out to compare the effect of mesna (2-mercaptoethane sulphonate sodium) with that of forced diuresis in preventing cyclophosphamide induced haemorrhagic cystitis in marrow transplant recipients. Sixty-one consecutive BMT recipients were randomised for treatment with forced diuresis or mesna. The incidence of macroscopic haematuria was significantly lower in the mesna treated group (chi 2 = 4.03, P less than 0.05). No specific side effects of mesna were detected. The lymphopenia induced by cyclophosphamide in the aplastic recipients was similar in the mesna and forced diuresis groups suggesting that mesna has no effect on the lymphocytotoxic activity of cyclophosphamide, although 6 out of 7 episodes of graft failure documented in the study occurred in mesna treated patients. As a result of this study our present policy is to use mesna in all BMT recipients but to continue careful documentation of the incidence of graft failure.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 6437430 · DOI · PMC1977002
Endoplasmic reticulum stress activates transglutaminase 2 leading to protein aggregation [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Aberrant activation of transglutaminase 2 (TGase2) contributes to a variety of protein conformational disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases and age-related cataracts.
- Closing excerpt
- Therefore, we suggest that inhibition of TGase2 may be a novel strategy by which to prevent the protein aggregation in age-related degenerative diseases.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (228 words)
Aberrant activation of transglutaminase 2 (TGase2) contributes to a variety of protein conformational disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases and age-related cataracts. The accumulation of improperly folded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which promotes either repair or degradation of the damaged proteins. Inadequate UPR results in protein aggregation that may contribute to the development of age-related degenerative diseases. TGase2 is a calcium-dependent enzyme that irreversibly modifies proteins by forming cross-linked protein aggregates. Intracellular TGase2 is activated by oxidative stress which generates large quantities of unfolded proteins. However, the relationship between TGase2 activity and UPR has not yet been established. In the present study, we demonstrated that ER stress activated TGase2 in various cell types. TGase2 activation was dependent on the ER stress-induced increase in the intracellular calcium ion concentration but not on the TGase2 protein expression level. Enzyme substrate analysis revealed that TGase2-mediated protein modification promoted protein aggregation concurrently with decreasing water solubility. Moreover, treatment with KCC009, a TGase2 inhibitor, abrogated ER stress-induced TGase2 activation and subsequent protein aggregation. However, TGase2 activation had no effect on ER stress-induced cell death. These results demonstrate that the accumulation of misfolded proteins activates TGase2, which further accelerates the formation of protein aggregates. Therefore, we suggest that inhibition of TGase2 may be a novel strategy by which to prevent the protein aggregation in age-related degenerative diseases.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 24481335 · DOI · PMC3976127
Beta-mecaptoethanol suppresses inflammation and induces adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-F442A murine preadipocytes [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Preadipocytes are present in adipose tissues throughout adult life that can proliferate and differentiate into mature adipocytes in response to environmental cues.
- Closing excerpt
- Using a non-adipogenic HEK293 cell line transfected with luciferase reporter genes, we demonstrated that BME reduced basal and TNFalpha-induced NFkappaB activity and increased basal and ciglitazone-induced PPARgamma activity; both may contribute to the pro-adipogenic effect of BME in differentiating F442A preadipocytes.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (227 words)
Preadipocytes are present in adipose tissues throughout adult life that can proliferate and differentiate into mature adipocytes in response to environmental cues. Abnormal increase in adipocyte number or size leads to fat tissue expansion. However, it is now recognized that adipocyte hypertrophy is a greater risk factor for metabolic syndrome whereas fat tissue that continues to produce newer and smaller fat cells through preadipocyte differentiation is "metabolically healthy". Because adipocyte hypertrophy is often associated with increased oxidant stress and low grade inflammation, both are linked to disturbed cellular redox, we tested how preadipocyte differentiation may be regulated by beta-mercaptoethanol (BME), a pharmacological redox regulator and radical scavenger, using murine 3T3-F442A preadipocytes as the cell model. Effects of BME on adipogenesis were measured by microphotography, real-time PCR, and Western analysis. Our data demonstrated that preadipocyte differentiation could be regulated by extracellular BME. At an optimal concentration, BME enhanced expression of adipogenic gene markers and lipid accumulation. This effect was associated with BME-mediated down-regulation of inflammatory cytokine expression during early differentiation. BME also attenuated TNFalpha-induced activation of NFkappaB in differentiating preadipocytes and partially restored TNFalpha-mediated suppression on adipogenesis. Using a non-adipogenic HEK293 cell line transfected with luciferase reporter genes, we demonstrated that BME reduced basal and TNFalpha-induced NFkappaB activity and increased basal and ciglitazone-induced PPARgamma activity; both may contribute to the pro-adipogenic effect of BME in differentiating F442A preadipocytes.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 22911724 · DOI · PMC3402440
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article The pharmacological and physiological role of cyclic GMP in vascular smooth muscle relaxation [4]
- Research article Nitric oxide metabolism and breakdown [5]
- Research article How does ascorbic acid prevent endothelial dysfunction? [6]
- Research article Biological chemistry and clinical potential of S-nitrosothiols [7]
- Research article Nitric oxide and thiol groups [8]
- Research article S-Nitrosothiols: a class of nitric oxide-donor drugs [9]
References
- Hows JM, Mehta A, Ward L, Woods K, Perez R, Gordon MY, et al.. Comparison of mesna with forced diuresis to prevent cyclophosphamide induced haemorrhagic cystitis in marrow transplantation: a prospective randomised study. . 1984. PMID 6437430 · DOI · PMC1977002
- Lee JH, Jeong J, Jeong EM, Cho SY, Kang JW, Lim J, et al.. Endoplasmic reticulum stress activates transglutaminase 2 leading to protein aggregation. . 2014. PMID 24481335 · DOI · PMC3976127
- Guo W, Li Y, Liang W, Wong S, Apovian C, Kirkland JL, et al.. Beta-mecaptoethanol suppresses inflammation and induces adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-F442A murine preadipocytes. . 2012. PMID 22911724 · DOI · PMC3402440
- Ignarro LJ, Kadowitz PJ. The pharmacological and physiological role of cyclic GMP in vascular smooth muscle relaxation. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 1985. PMID 2988418 · DOI
- Kelm M. Nitric oxide metabolism and breakdown. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1999. PMID 10320663 · DOI
- May JM. How does ascorbic acid prevent endothelial dysfunction?. Free Radic Biol Med. 2000. PMID 10924860 · DOI
- Hogg N. Biological chemistry and clinical potential of S-nitrosothiols. Free Radic Biol Med. 2000. PMID 10927172 · DOI
- Gaston B. Nitric oxide and thiol groups. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1999. PMID 10320666 · DOI
- Al-Sa'doni H, Ferro A. S-Nitrosothiols: a class of nitric oxide-donor drugs. Clin Sci (Lond). 2000. PMID 10781381 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
See how EvidenceLib is built. Spotted an error? Email support@evidencehelix.com.
Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.