Hydrogen-Rich Water Bath Preserves Hearts in Rat Transplant Surgery
A novel method of preserving cardiac grafts using a hydrogen-rich water bath
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Kentaro Noda, Norihisa Shigemura, Yugo Tanaka, Tomohiro Kawamura, Sang Hyun Lim, Kenichi Kokubo, Timothy R. Billiar, Christian A. Bermudez, Hirosuke Kobayashi, Atsunori Nakao
- Journal
- The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
- Year
- 2013
- PMID
- 23273745
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Water (Dissolved)
- Dose
- Cardiac grafts stored in plastic bags containing Celsior immersed in cold water bath equipped with electrolyzer to saturate water with hydrogen
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 52 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
Storing heart transplants in hydrogen-rich water reduces damage and inflammation when the heart is reconnected to blood supply.
Key Finding
Heart grafts stored in hydrogen-rich water showed significantly reduced injury markers, less inflammation, and better preservation of cellular energy compared to conventionally stored grafts during cold preservation and transplantation in rats.
Summary
Researchers tested a new way to preserve donor hearts for transplant by storing them in a cold bath saturated with hydrogen gas. Using rat hearts, they found that hearts stored in hydrogen-rich water showed less damage and inflammation after being transplanted compared to hearts stored without hydrogen. The hydrogen appeared to protect the heart tissue by reducing harmful molecules (oxidative stress) and preserving the energy-producing structures inside cells.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage animal study suggests hydrogen-rich water preservation may help protect donor hearts during transplantation, but this is preliminary research in rats only. Much more work—including studies in larger animals and eventually human trials—would be needed before this method could be used clinically. The findings are encouraging for transplant medicine but do not yet have implications for consumer hydrogen water use.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Exogenously administered hydrogen exerts cytoprotective effects through anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic mechanisms in various disease settings, including organ transplantation. Our objective in this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel cold storage device…