Hydrogen Therapy Prevents Heart Damage from Thyroid Hormone Excess
- Authors
- Hongxiao Yang, Juncai Bai, Chengchuang Zhan, Shuang Liu, Yunan Gao, Lihua Zhong, Yajing Lv, Jing Chi, Jiaren Liu, Xinrui Yang, Wei Yang
- Journal
- European Journal of Pharmacology
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.174917
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cardiac Hypertrophy
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas can help protect against heart enlargement caused by high thyroid hormone levels in rats.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced thyroid hormone-induced heart enlargement in rats and lowered oxidative stress markers in heart tissue.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen gas could protect rat hearts from enlargement caused by excess thyroid hormone. Researchers gave rats levothyroxine (a thyroid hormone) for two weeks, which caused their hearts to enlarge. When these rats also inhaled hydrogen gas, the heart enlargement was reduced, and markers of cellular damage (oxidative stress) in the heart tissue decreased. Hydrogen appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules and blocking certain proteins involved in heart damage.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen may help protect against heart changes from excess thyroid hormone, but it was conducted only in rats and did not test actual heart function improvements. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about hydrogen's potential benefits for people with thyroid disorders.
Abstract
Cardiac hypertrophy occurs as a result of high levels of thyroid hormone, which may contribute to heart failure and is closely related to oxidative stress. Hydrogen is a good antioxidant. In this study, we found that intragastric levothyroxine administration for two weeks caused obvious cardiac hypertrophy without reduced systolic function. Additionally, hydrogen inhalation ameliorated the levothyroxine-induced metabolic increase and cardiac hypertrophy in rats. Serum brain natriuretic peptide expression was also attenuated by hydrogen treatment. However, hydrogen had no significant effect on levothyroxine -induced serum troponin I and serum thyroid hormone changes. Hydrogen treatment also reduced the levothyroxine-induced increase in cardiac malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine and serum hydrogen peroxide levels and upregulated superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity. Additionally, western blotting results showed that hydrogen inhalation inhibited the expression of cardiac nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 2 (NOX2), angiotensin II type 1 receptor, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2), phospho-phospholamban and α-myosin heavy chain proteins. In conclusion, the present study revealed a protective effect of hydrogen on levothyroxine -induced cardiac hypertrophy by regulating angiotensin II type 1 receptors and NOX2-mediated oxidative stress in rats.