Hydrogen Gas Reduces Post-Surgery Pain in Mice
Hydrogen attenuates postoperative pain through Trx1/ASK1/MMP9 signaling pathway
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Musculoskeletal System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Juan Li, Shirong Ruan, Jinhui Jia, Qian Li, Rumeng Jia, Li Wan, Xing Yang, Peng Teng, Qilin Peng, Ya-dan Shi, Pan Yu, Yinbing Pan, Man-lin Duan, Wen-Tao Liu, Li Zhang, Liang Hu
- Journal
- Journal of Neuroinflammation
- Year
- 2023
- PMID
- 36737785
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Delivery
- Saline (Dissolved)
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 18 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Hydrogen gas (H2) may be a potential treatment for reducing postoperative pain by affecting certain molecules and pathways in the body.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas reduced postoperative pain in mice by activating a protein called Trx1, which suppressed inflammatory signaling pathways in the spinal cord.
Summary
Researchers used mice to test whether hydrogen gas could reduce pain after surgery. They found that surgery increased activity of certain pain-promoting proteins in the spinal cord, and that hydrogen gas reduced these proteins and decreased pain sensitivity. The effect worked by activating a protective protein called Trx1, which then blocked a chain of inflammatory signals that normally amplify pain.
Practical Takeaway
This mouse study suggests hydrogen may have potential for managing postoperative pain through anti-inflammatory mechanisms, but it is early-stage research. Human studies would be needed to determine if these findings apply to people, and the study does not yet indicate what dose or delivery method would be effective in clinical settings.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Postoperative pain is a serious clinical problem with a poorly understood mechanism, and lacks effective treatment. Hydrogen (H2) can reduce neuroinflammation; therefore, we hypothesize that H2 may alleviate postoperative pain, and aimed to investigate the underlying mechanism. Methods…