Hydrogen Therapy Reduces Nerve Pain in Rats Through Anti-Inflammatory Effects
- Authors
- Yajun Chen, Hongguang Chen, Keliang Xie, Lingling Liu, Yuan Li, Yonghao Yu, Guo-Lin Wang
- Journal
- Inflammation
- Year
- 2015
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10753-015-0161-x
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Neuropathic Pain
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Hydrogen gas treatment reduces pain and inflammation in rats with nerve injury-related pain.
Key Finding
Hydrogen treatment reduced pain behaviors and inflammatory cytokine levels in rats with neuropathic pain by activating the HO-1/CO signaling pathway.
Summary
Researchers gave hydrogen gas (dissolved in saline) to rats with nerve pain caused by sciatic nerve injury. Hydrogen treatment reduced pain sensitivity and decreased inflammatory molecules (immune signaling chemicals) in nerve tissue. The pain relief appeared to work through a specific biological pathway involving a protein called heme oxygenase-1.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen may have potential for nerve pain, but it is early-stage animal research only. Human studies would be needed to determine if these effects translate to people with neuropathic pain. The study does not establish whether hydrogen water (the form available to consumers) would produce similar results.
Abstract
Neuropathic pain (NP) is characterized by persistent pain, tactile allodynia, or hyperalgesia. Peripheral nerve injury contributes to rapid progress of inflammatory response and simultaneously generates neuropathic pain. Hydrogen (H2) has anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-oxidative stress effects. Therefore, we hypothesized that H2 treatment could alleviate allodynic and hyperalgesic behaviors and the release of inflammatory factors in rats with neuropathic pain. Peripheral neuropathic pain was established by chronic constriction injury of sciatic nerve in rats. H2 was given twice through intraperitoneal injection at a daily dose of 10 mL/kg during days 1-7 after the operation. Hyperalgesia and allodynia were tested, pro-inflammatory factors of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the spinal cord were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) during days 1-14 after the operation, and heme oxygenase (HO)-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression and activities were measured at day 14 after sciatic nerve injury in rats. After Sn (IV) protoporphyrin IX dihydrochloride (SnPP)-IX, hemin, and carbon monoxide-releasing molecule (CORM)-2 had been given for chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats, the above indicators were assessed. We found that H2 clearly inhibited hyperalgesia and allodynia in neuropathic pain and also attenuated the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, and high-mobility group box (HMGB) 1. H2 improved HO-1 mRNA and protein expression and activities in the process of pain. SnPP-IX reversed the inhibitory effect of H2 on hyperalgesia and allodynia and on pro-inflammatory cytokines in DRG and the spinal cord. The antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of H2 were involved in the activation of HO-1/CO signaling during neuropathic pain in rats.