Hydrogen Therapy Reduces Heart Rhythm Problems in Animal Study
- Authors
- Binmei Zhang, Jingxiu Hou, Jiaren Liu, Junhei He, Yunan Gao, Guangnan Li, Yianjiao Ma, Xin Lv, Li Dong, Wei Yang
- Journal
- PLOS One
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0310852
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Hydrogen gas treatment reduces the risk of a common heart rhythm disorder and lessens heart scarring in rats.
Key Finding
In rats, hydrogen gas reduced susceptibility to angiotensin II-induced atrial fibrillation and atrial fibrosis by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways.
Summary
Researchers gave rats a hormone called angiotensin II that triggers irregular heartbeats and heart scarring. When they also gave these rats hydrogen gas, the rats developed fewer irregular heartbeats and less heart scarring compared to rats that received only the hormone. The study suggests hydrogen works by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals and calming down inflammatory responses in heart tissue.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen may help prevent heart rhythm problems in specific disease conditions, but human studies are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about its use in people. The findings are promising for future research but do not yet support therapeutic recommendations.
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) represents the commonly occurring cardiac arrhythmia and the main factor leading to stroke and heart failure. Hydrogen (H2) is a gaseous signaling molecule that has the effects of anti-inflammation and antioxidation. Our study provides evidence that hydrogen decreases susceptibility to AngII-mediated AF together with atrial fibrosis. Following continuous AngII administration for a 28-day period, AngII+H2 treated rats showed decreased susceptibility to AF, a decrease in atrial fibrosis, a decrease in ROS in atrial myocytes, an inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, an improvement in electrical remodeling, and an inhibition of proliferation and migration of cardiac fibroblasts. We further found that hydrogen regulates the activation of inflammasome and thus improves Ca2+ handling and IKAch and IKur by inhibiting the activity of NOX4 in vivo. In addition, hydrogen was involved in AngII-mediated atrial fibrosis through inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway through suppressing TGF-β1 activation and secretion in vivo. Our findings suggest that hydrogen is important for preventing and treating AngII-mediated AF and atrial fibrosis, suggesting that hydrogen could be used as the candidate way to prevent and treat AF.