Hydrogen Water + Glutathione Kills Leukemia Cells, Spares Healthy Ones
- Authors
- Chia-Fang Tsai, Yu-Wen Hsu, Wen-Kang Chen, Yung-Chyuan Ho, Fung-Jou Lu
- Journal
- Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry
- Year
- 2009
- DOI
- 10.1271/bbb.80413
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Taiwan
- Health Condition
- Acute Leukemia
- Body System
- Hematologic
TL;DR
Water with higher pH and lower oxidation properties, when combined with a molecule called glutathione, can more effectively trigger the self-destruct process in leukemia cells without harming normal cells.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed-reduced water combined with glutathione enhanced cancer cell death in leukemia cells while sparing normal immune cells, suggesting a selective anti-cancer effect in laboratory conditions.
Summary
Researchers tested electrolyzed-reduced water (water with higher pH and lower oxidation potential created through electrolysis) combined with glutathione (an antioxidant compound) on leukemia cancer cells in a laboratory dish. The combination killed leukemia cells more effectively than either treatment alone, while leaving normal immune cells unharmed. The cancer cells died through a process called apoptosis (programmed cell death) involving changes in specific proteins that control cell survival.
Practical Takeaway
This is a laboratory study using cancer cells in a dish, not human testing, so it cannot yet inform real-world health decisions. While the selective effect on cancer cells is scientifically interesting, many promising laboratory findings do not translate to effective treatments in humans. Much more research, including animal studies and eventually human trials, would be needed before any conclusions about hydrogen water's role in cancer treatment could be drawn.
Abstract
Electrolzyed-reduced water (ERW) is a higher pH and lower oxidation-reduction potential water. In the present study, we examined the enhanced effect of ERW in the apoptosis of leukemia cells (HL-60) induced by glutathione (GSH). An enhanced inhibitory effect on the viability of the HL-60 cells was observed after treatment with a combination of ERW with various concentrations of GSH, whereas no cytotoxic effect in normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells was observed. The results of apoptotic related protein indicated that the induction of HL-60 cell death was caused by the induction of apoptosis through upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. The results of further investigation showed a diminution of intracellular GSH levels in ERW, and combination with GSH groups. These results suggest that ERW is an antioxidant, and that ERW, in combination with GSH, has an enhanced apoptosis-inducing effect on HL-60 cells, which might be mediated through the mitochondria-dependent pathway.