Hydrogen Water Slows Breast Cancer Growth in Mice Study
- Authors
- Giovanni Vanni Frajese, Monica Benvenuto, Rosanna Mattera, Saverio Giampaoli, Elena Ambrosin, Roberta Bernardini, Maria Gabriella Giganti, Loredana Albonici, Ivan Dus, Vittorio Manzari, Andrea Modesti, Maurizio Mattei, Roberto Bei
- Journal
- Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1155/2018/4753507
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Italy
- Health Condition
- Breast Cancer
- Body System
- Reproductive System
TL;DR
Drinking water that's been electrochemically reduced (ERW) might help slow down breast cancer growth.
Key Finding
Electrochemically reduced water delayed mammary tumor development in mice and reduced tumor multiplicity, while also triggering death of multiple types of breast cancer cells in laboratory studies.
Summary
Researchers tested electrochemically reduced water (water processed to contain hydrogen gas and tiny platinum particles) on breast cancer cells grown in the lab and on mice genetically engineered to develop breast tumors. The water treatment slowed cancer cell growth, triggered cancer cells to die, and delayed tumor development in the mice. The treatment also extended the time before tumors appeared and reduced the number of tumors that formed.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research conducted only in mice and laboratory cell cultures, not in humans. While the results are promising, they do not yet demonstrate that hydrogen water would have similar effects in people with breast cancer. Anyone with cancer should consult their oncologist before considering any complementary approach, as this study cannot support claims about human health benefits.
Abstract
Electrochemical reduced water (ERW) has been proposed to have beneficial effects on human health due to its rich content of H2 and the presence of platinum nanoparticles with antioxidant effects. Many studies have demonstrated that ERW scavenging properties are able to reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress in different experimental models. Although few in vivo studies have been reported, it has been demonstrated that ERW may display anticancer effects by induction of tumor cells apoptosis and reduction of both angiogenesis and inflammation. In this study, we show that ERW treatment of MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐453, and mouse (TUBO) breast cancer cells inhibited cell survival in a time‐dependent fashion. ERW decreased ErbB2/neu expression and impaired pERK1/ERK2 and AKT phosphorylation in breast cancer cells. In addition, ERW treatment induced apoptosis of breast cancer cell lines independently of the status of p53 and ER and PR receptors. Our in vivo results showed that ERW treatment of transgenic BALB‐neuT mice delayed the development of mammary tumors compared to the control. In addition, ERW induced a significant prolongation of tumor‐free survival and a reduction in tumor multiplicity. Overall, these results suggest a potential beneficial role of ERW in inhibiting cancer cells growth.