Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, and minimal molecule with high flammability. Although H2 has been thought to be an inert gas in living bodies for many years, an animal study reported that inhalation of H2 gas decreased oxidative stress and suppressed brain injury caused by ischemia and reperfusion injury due to its antioxidant action. Since then, the …
Hydrogen may overcome senescence
It has been revealed that the cause of senescence and diseases is associated with the reactive oxygen species “hydroxyl radicals” (·OH). Senescence and diseases may be overcome as long as we can scavenge •OH mostly produced in mitochondria. It is one and only one “molecular hydrogen” (H2) that can both penetrate into the mitochondria and scavenge the •OH. The H2 …
Hydrogen for COVID-19 prevention
SARS-CoV-2, also referred to as CoV-19, is an RNA virus which can cause severe acute respiratory diseases (COVID-19), with serious infection of the lower respiratory tract followed by bronchitis, pneumonia and fibrosis. The severity of the disease depends on the efficiency of the immune system which, if it is weak, cannot stem the infection and its symptoms. The new CoV-19 …
Novel hydrogen administration method
Organ ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), which is unavoidable in kidney transplantation, induces the formation of reactive oxygen species and causes organ damage. Although the efficacy of molecular hydrogen (H2) in IRI has been reported, oral intake of H2-rich water and inhalation of H2 gas are still not widely used in clinical settings because of the lack of efficiency and difficulty in …
Hydrogen for depressed mood and loss of interest
The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of hydrogen in preventing and treating psychiatric symptoms, particularly depressed mood and loss of interest, and to explore its underlying mechanisms. A mouse model exhibiting inflammation-derived depressive symptoms was used for the investigation. Institute of Cancer Research mice were subjected to a 7-day intervention of either 30% hydrogen or 40 …
Hydrogen, gut microbiome and opioid addiction
The gut-brain axis mediates the interaction pathway between microbiota and opioid addiction. In recent years, many studies have shown that molecular hydrogen has therapeutic and preventive effects on various diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether molecular hydrogen could serve as pharmacological intervention agent to reduce risks of reinstatement of opioid seeking and explore the mechanism of gut microbiota base …
Hydrogen regulates myocardial microRNAs
Radiation represents an environmental factor that can adversely affect the heart and the vasculature. Depending on the dose and time, radiation-induced heart injury may evolve, as is well documented e. g. in long-term cancer survivors previously treated with radiotherapy. Oxidative stress induced by irradiation damages endothelial and myocardial cells. An inflammatory response is induced by cytokine release from dysfunctional endothelium …
Clinical studies with hydrogen
With its antioxidant properties, hydrogen gas (H2) has been evaluated in vitro, in animal studies and in human studies for a broad range of therapeutic indications. A simple search of “hydrogen gas” in various medical databases resulted in more than 2000 publications related to hydrogen gas as a potential new drug substance. A parallel search in clinical trial registers also …
Preventive effects of hydrogen on inflammatory diseases
Because multicellular organisms do not have hydrogenase, H2 has been considered to be biologically inactive in these species, and enterobacteria to be largely responsible for the oxidation of H2 taken into the body. However, we showed previously that inhalation of H2 markedly suppresses brain injury induced by focal ischemia-reperfusion by buffering oxidative stress. Although the reaction constant of H2 with …
Hydrogen downregulates skeletal muscle damage
Physical exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage may be characterized by increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis which may be beneficial when exercise is regular, but it is rather harmful when exercise is exhaustive and performed acutely by unaccustomed individuals. Molecular hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic agent, but its action on the deleterious effects of acute …