Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise Against Deadly Brain Cancer in Lab Studies
- Authors
- Luc Rochette, Geoffrey Dogon, Marianne Zeller, Yves Cottin, Catherine Vergely
- Journal
- Brain Sciences
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.3390/brainsci13081168
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- France
- Health Condition
- Glioblastoma
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists found that a simple gas called molecular hydrogen might help fight brain tumors called glioblastoma by stopping tumors from growing and spreading, which could help people with this serious disease live longer. This discovery is exciting because it could lead to a new way to treat brain cancer either by itself or combined with other treatments like proton therapy.
Key Finding
Animal studies show that molecular hydrogen inhalation suppressed glioblastoma tumor growth and extended survival in mice, while also reducing cancer cell spread and colony formation.
Summary
This review examined how molecular hydrogen (H2)—a simple gas—might help treat glioblastoma, a serious brain cancer. Laboratory and animal studies suggest that hydrogen works by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals and decreasing inflammation in tumor cells. In mice with glioblastoma, inhaling hydrogen slowed tumor growth and helped the animals live longer. The treatment also reduced the ability of cancer cells to spread and form new tumors.
Practical Takeaway
While these results are encouraging, they come from laboratory and animal studies only—not human trials. The review does not specify how hydrogen was delivered or provide details on study sizes and durations. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before hydrogen could be considered a viable treatment for glioblastoma.
Abstract
Antioxidants in cancer therapy have been a hot topic in the medical field for 20 years. Antioxidants are able to reduce the risk of cancer formation by neutralizing free radicals. Protons (H+) and molecular hydrogen (H2) interact in the cell and are essential in a wide variety of processes. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects of H2 have been studied in numerous experimental and clinical studies. Experimental data indicate that H2 is an antitumor agent in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). In vivo H2 inhalation could suppress the growth of GBM tumors, thereby extending the survival of mice with GBM. The sphere-forming ability of glioma cells was suppressed by hydrogen treatment. In addition, H2 treatment also suppressed the migration, invasion, and colony-forming ability of glioma cells. Proton therapy and proton beam radiotherapy offer some advantages over other modern conformal photon-based therapies when used in the treatment of central nervous system malignancies.