How Different Ways of Taking Hydrogen Affect Levels in Blood and Organs
Estimation of the hydrogen concentration in rat tissue using an airtight tube following the administration of hydrogen via various routes
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System · Brain & Nervous System
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Chi Liu, Ryosuke Kurokawa, Masayuki Fujino, Shinichi Hirano, Bunpei Sato, Xiao-Kang Li
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2015
- DOI
- 10.1038/srep05485
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Neutral
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
TL;DR
Scientists have developed a new method to measure hydrogen levels in rats, finding that these levels peak quickly after hydrogen is given orally, through the belly, or via the veins, and remain high after inhaling hydrogen gas.
Key Finding
Intravenous administration of hydrogen-rich saline reached peak blood and tissue hydrogen levels fastest (1 minute), while inhalation of hydrogen gas produced sustained elevated levels lasting at least 30 minutes.
Summary
Researchers tested different ways to deliver hydrogen to rats—by mouth, injection, intravenous infusion, and inhalation—and measured how much hydrogen reached their blood and organs. They found that intravenous injection got hydrogen into the bloodstream fastest (within 1 minute), while swallowing hydrogen-rich water peaked at 5 minutes. Breathing in hydrogen gas produced sustained levels that stayed elevated for at least 30 minutes. This study developed a reliable method for measuring hydrogen levels in animal tissues, which could help researchers design better hydrogen-based treatments.
Practical Takeaway
This is an animal study that measured how quickly hydrogen reaches different tissues depending on delivery method—important groundwork for understanding how hydrogen therapies might work in the body. However, it does not test whether hydrogen actually produces health benefits in rats or humans, only how much hydrogen accumulates where and when. Results in rats may not directly translate to humans.
Abstract (excerpt)
Hydrogen exerts beneficial effects in disease animal models of ischemia-reperfusion injury as well as inflammatory and neurological disease. Additionally, molecular hydrogen is useful for various novel medical and therapeutic applications in the clinical setting. In the present study, the hydrogen…