Hydrogen Gas and Wound Healing in Mice
Hydrogen Attenuates Inflammation by Inducing Early M2 Macrophage Polarization in Skin Wound Healing
Research hubs: Skin & Dermatology System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Pengxiang Zhao, Zisong Cai, Xujuan Zhang, Mengyu Liu, Fei Xie, Ziyi Liu, Shidong Lu, Xuemei Ma
- Journal
- Pharmaceuticals
- Year
- 2023
- PMID
- 37375833
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Delivery
- Gas
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 28 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Breathing in molecular hydrogen (H2) gas can speed up the healing process by quickly turning certain immune cells from a pro-inflammatory to a healing-promoting type in mice with skin wounds.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation accelerated the shift from inflammatory to healing-type macrophages by 2-3 days in mouse wound healing, without compromising the initial immune response.
Summary
Researchers studied how molecular hydrogen (a gas) affects wound healing in mice. They found that inhaling hydrogen gas sped up the conversion of immune cells called macrophages from an inflammatory type (M1) to a healing type (M2) by 2-3 days. This happened without interfering with the body's initial immune response, suggesting hydrogen may help wounds heal faster by reducing inflammation.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen gas may support faster wound healing by modulating immune responses. However, these results are from mice only, and human studies would be needed to determine if similar effects occur in people. The mechanism appears more complex than simple antioxidant activity, which may be important for future therapeutic development.
Abstract (excerpt)
The heterogeneous and highly plastic cell populations of macrophages are important mediators of cellular responses during all stages of wound healing, especially in the inflammatory stage. Molecular hydrogen (H2), which has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, has been shown to promote…