Hydrogen Gas Protects Lungs from Oxygen Damage in Rats
Hydrogen alleviates hyperoxic acute lung injury related endoplasmic reticulum stress in rats through upregulation of SIRT1
Research hubs: Respiratory System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Qiang Sun, Wenjie Han, Huijun Hu, Danfeng Fan, Yanbo Li, Yu Zhang, Yan Lv, Mingxin Li, Shu-Yi Pan
- Journal
- Free Radical Research
- Year
- 2017
- PMID
- 28675985
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 100% oxygen with hydrogen treatment for 60 continuous hours
- Duration
- 3 days
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 32 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Hydrogen treatment can significantly lessen lung damage caused by breathing pure oxygen by affecting certain protective processes in cells.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas significantly reduced lung damage from prolonged oxygen exposure in rats by activating a protein called SIRT1, which reduced cellular stress and cell death.
Summary
This rat study investigated how hydrogen gas protects lungs from damage caused by prolonged exposure to pure oxygen. Researchers exposed rats to pure oxygen for 60 hours with or without hydrogen treatment, then measured lung damage, cell death, and stress markers inside cells. Hydrogen treatment reduced lung fluid buildup, cell death, and a type of cellular stress called endoplasmic reticulum stress, and this protection appeared to work through a protein called SIRT1.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage rat study showing a potential mechanism for how hydrogen might protect against oxygen toxicity. However, this research has not been tested in humans, and the study does not tell us whether hydrogen water (the form most consumers use) would have similar effects. Much more research is needed before any clinical recommendations can be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
Hyperoxic acute lung injury (HALI) is a major clinical problem for patients undergoing supplemental oxygen therapy. Currently in clinical settings there exist no effective means of prevention or treatment methods. Our previous study found that: hydrogen could reduce HALI, as well as oxidative…