Hydrogen Solution and Donor Heart Protection in Rats
Hydrogen-containing preservation solution relieves oxidative stress and inflammatory damage of rat donor heart
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Xiang-Dong Sun, Fang-Lin Lu, Yong Cui, Xue-Jun Sun, Zhi-Yun Xu
- Journal
- Academic Journal of Second Military Medical University
- Year
- 2010
- Study Type
- Rat
- Participants
- 32
- Delivery
- Solution (Dissolved)
- Dose
- Hydrogen-containing HTK preservation solution at three concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 mmol/L) for 6 hours hypothermic storage at 4°C
- H₂ concentration
- 0.2 mmol/L, 0.4 mmol/L, 0.8 mmol/L
- Duration
- 1 day or less
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 0 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Adding hydrogen to the solution used to preserve rat hearts for transplantation reduces damage and inflammation.
Key Finding
Rat hearts preserved in hydrogen-containing solutions had reduced oxidative stress markers and lower levels of inflammatory molecules compared to hearts preserved in standard solution.
Summary
Researchers tested whether adding hydrogen to a solution used to preserve donor hearts could reduce damage during storage. They stored rat hearts in preservation solution with different amounts of dissolved hydrogen for 6 hours at cold temperatures, then measured markers of cellular damage and inflammation. Hearts stored in hydrogen-enriched solutions showed lower levels of harmful molecules and inflammation markers compared to hearts stored in regular solution.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing that hydrogen may help protect donor organs during storage for transplantation. However, this research was conducted only in rats using preserved organs in a laboratory setting—it does not yet indicate whether hydrogen water would have similar protective effects in living humans or for general health purposes.
Abstract (excerpt)
Objective: To study the effect of hydrogen-containing preservation solution against oxidative stress and inflammatory damage of rat donor heart. Methods: Thirty-two SD rats were evenly randomized into four groups(n = 8) : control group (the hearts were protected by HTK solution), H1 group (hydrogen…