Hydrogen Therapy Helps Reduce Opioid Addiction by Healing Gut Bacteria
- Authors
- Bing Xie, Yong Wang, Yun Lu, Mengmeng Wang, Rongji Hui, Hailei Yu, Wenbo Li, Ludi Zhang, Feng Yu, Zhiyu Ni, Cong Bin, Chunling Ma, Di Wen
- Journal
- Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117273
- Study Type
- Human
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Opioid Addiction
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Breathing in molecular hydrogen may help reduce opioid addiction and improve mood by changing gut bacteria.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen reduced morphine-seeking behavior in mice and improved depression, anxiety, and gut microbiota composition in people with opioid addiction, suggesting the gut microbiome may be a key mechanism through which hydrogen exerts its effects.
Summary
Researchers tested whether molecular hydrogen (H2)—a gas that can be inhaled or dissolved in water—could help reduce cravings and relapse in people and animals addicted to opioids. They used both mouse studies and human participants with opioid addiction, measuring changes in behavior, mood, and the composition of bacteria in the gut (microbiome). The study found that molecular hydrogen appeared to reduce drug-seeking behavior in mice, improved depression and anxiety symptoms in people with opioid addiction, and changed the balance of gut bacteria in ways that might support these improvements.
Practical Takeaway
While this study includes human participants, the sample size and study duration were not reported, making it difficult to assess the strength of the findings. The results suggest molecular hydrogen may have potential as a supplementary treatment for opioid addiction, but much larger and longer clinical trials would be needed before any health recommendations could be made. The mechanism involving gut bacteria is interesting but remains preliminary.
Abstract
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 on animal experiments and human studies. Morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) was constructed to establish acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement stage, and the potential impact of H2 on the behaviors related to morphine-induced drug extinction was determined using both free accessible and confined CPP extinction paradigms. The effects of morphine on microbial diversity and composition of microbiota, as well as the subsequent changes after H2 intervention, were assessed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) in mice serum were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Meanwhile, we also conducted molecular hydrogen intervention and gut microbiota testing in opioid-addicted individuals. Our results revealed that molecular hydrogen could enhance the extinction of morphine-related behavior, reducing morphine reinstatement. Gut microbes may be a potential mechanism behind the therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogen on morphine addiction. Additionally, molecular hydrogen improved symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as gut microbial features, in individuals with opioid addiction. This study supports molecular hydrogen as a novel and effective intervention for morphine-induced addiction and reveals the mechanism of gut microbiota.