How Hydrogen Gas Reaches Different Organs in Mice During Inhalation
Accurate in vivo real-time determination of the hydrogen concentration in different tissues of mice after hydrogen inhalation
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Wenjun Zhu, Qianqian Gu, Boyan Liu, Yanhong Si, Huirong Sun, Jingjie Zhong, Yi Lu, Dan Wang, Junli Xue, Shucun Qin
- Journal
- Heliyon
- Year
- 2022
- PMID
- 36203896
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- continuous different concentrations of H2 inhalation
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 9 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Hydrogen gas, a potential treatment for various diseases, reaches different levels in various mouse tissues and takes longer to saturate in muscle, providing insights for effective dosing in experiments.
Key Finding
Hydrogen accumulation in mouse tissues varies significantly by organ, with kidneys reaching the highest concentrations and skeletal muscle requiring the longest time to become saturated.
Summary
Researchers measured how hydrogen gas spreads through different tissues in mice after the animals inhaled it. They found that hydrogen accumulated to different levels in different organs—the kidneys absorbed the most hydrogen, while leg muscles absorbed the least and took the longest time to become saturated (fully filled with hydrogen). These measurements help scientists understand how much hydrogen to give to mice in experiments and for how long to get the best results.
Practical Takeaway
This is a basic laboratory study in mice measuring how hydrogen gas distributes in the body—not a study testing hydrogen's health effects in humans. While the findings may help researchers design better animal studies of hydrogen's potential benefits, they don't directly tell us whether hydrogen water or inhalation would be beneficial for people.
Abstract (excerpt)
As an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic agent, hydrogen (H2) shows a promising potential in basic and clinical research against various diseases owing to its safety and efficacy. However, knowledge involving its underlying mechanisms of action, dosage effects, and dose duration…