The main cause of arteriosclerosis is atherosclerosis in the aorta. Atherosclerosis is recognized as a chronic inflammatory condition that begins with the dysfunction or activation of arterial endothelium. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and especially its oxidized form play a key role in endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis. Recent studies showed that senescent cells are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, and eliminating senescent cells suppresses the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. The authors previously reported that molecular hydrogen-rich water (HW) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in numerous diseases. Here, the authors used LDL receptor-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 13 weeks as a model for atherosclerosis and evaluated the effects of continuous administration of HW. The numbers of endothelial cells in the atheroma expressing the senescence factors p16INK4a and p21 decreased in HFD-fed mice given HW compared with HFD-fed mice given control water. Furthermore, macrophage infiltration and Tnfα expression in the atheroma were also suppressed. These results suggest that vascular aging can be suppressed by HW.
Iketani M, Sekimoto K, Igarashi T, et al. Administration of hydrogen-rich water prevents vascular aging of the aorta in LDL receptor-deficient mice. Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 14;8(1):16822.