Hydrogen Gas Helps Elderly Mice Survive Severe Lung Inflammation
- Authors
- Toshiyuki Aokage, Masumi Iketani, Mizuki Seya, Ying Meng, Kohei Ageta, Hiromichi Naito, Atsunori Nakao, Ikuroh Ohsawa
- Journal
- Experimental Gerontology
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112270
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Sepsis
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas reduced lung inflammation and signs of aging in elderly mice with artificially induced inflammation.
Key Finding
In aged mice with induced inflammation, continuous inhalation of 2% hydrogen gas for 24 hours reduced lung inflammation, improved survival rates, and decreased aging-related markers in lung tissue.
Summary
Researchers exposed old mice to a bacterial toxin (lipopolysaccharide) to trigger inflammation similar to sepsis, then tested whether breathing hydrogen gas could help. Mice that breathed 2% hydrogen gas continuously for 24 hours showed reduced lung inflammation, lower levels of aging-related proteins, and better survival rates compared to mice that didn't receive hydrogen. However, hydrogen gas did not protect the liver from injury in this experiment.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study that suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may help reduce lung inflammation in elderly individuals during severe infections, but it has significant limitations: it was only tested in mice, not humans, and the liver showed no protection. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before any therapeutic claims could be made.
Abstract
Introduction: With the global population aging, there is an increased prevalence of sepsis among the elderly, a demographic particularly susceptible to inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of hydrogen gas, known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, in attenuating inflammation specifically in the lungs and liver, and age-associated molecular markers in aged mice. Methods: Male mice aged 21 to 23 months, representative of the human elderly population, were subjected to inflammation via intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The mice were allocated into eight groups to examine the effects of varying durations and concentrations of hydrogen gas inhalation: control, saline without hydrogen, saline with 24-hour 2 % hydrogen, LPS without hydrogen, LPS with 24-hour 2 % hydrogen, LPS with 6-hour 2 % hydrogen, LPS with 1-hour 2 % hydrogen, and LPS with 24-hour 1 % hydrogen. Parameters assessed included survival rate, activity level, inflammatory biomarkers, and organ injury. Results: Extended administration of hydrogen gas specifically at a 2 % concentration for 24 h led to a favorable prognosis in the aged mice by reducing mRNA expression of inflammatory biomarkers in lung and liver tissue, mitigating lung injury, and diminishing the expression of the senescence-associated protein p21. Moreover, hydrogen gas inhalation selectively ameliorated senescence-related markers in lung tissue, including C-X-C motif chemokine 2, metalloproteinase-3, and arginase-1. Notably, hydrogen gas did not alleviate LPS-induced liver injury under the conditions tested. Conclusion: The study highlights that continuous inhalation of hydrogen gas at a 2 % concentration for 24 h can be a potent intervention in the geriatric population for improving survival and physical activity by mitigating pulmonary inflammation and modulating senescence-related markers in aged mice with LPS-induced inflammation. This finding paves the way for future research into hydrogen gas as a therapeutic strategy to alleviate severe inflammation that can lead to organ damage in the elderly.