Hydrogen Gas Improves Memory and Reduces Brain Damage in Alzheimer's Mice
- Authors
- Sofian Abdul-Nasir, Cat Tuong Chau, Tien Thuy Nguyen, Johny Bajgai, Md Habibur Rahman, Kwon Hwang-Un, In-Soo You, Cheol-Su Kim, Bo Am Seo, Kyu-Jae Lee
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijms26146922
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- South Korea
- Health Condition
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas reduced brain inflammation and memory loss in an Alzheimer’s mouse model by blocking toxic buildup in brain support cells.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas treatment significantly improved memory and reduced oxidative stress and brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer's disease-like conditions.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen gas could help prevent memory loss and brain damage in mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease. After 60 days of breathing 3% hydrogen gas, these mice performed better on memory tests and showed less brain inflammation and oxidative stress (a type of cellular damage) compared to mice that didn't receive hydrogen gas.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research conducted only in mice, so it cannot yet tell us whether hydrogen gas would help people with Alzheimer's disease. While the results are promising, human clinical trials would be needed before any health recommendations could be made.
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition in which amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques trigger oxidative stress (OS) and neuroinflammation, causing memory loss. OS and neurodegeneration can also be caused by reactive astrocytes, thereby promoting AD via toxic metabolite accumulation in the astrocytic urea cycle. However, the effect of molecular hydrogen (H2) on this cycle remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether H2 treatment could reduce OS-induced neurodegeneration and memory loss. 5xFAD (n = 14) and wild-type (n = 15) mice were randomized into four groups and treated with either 3% hydrogen gas (H2) or vehicle for 60 days. Cognitive behaviors were evaluated using the Morris water maze and Y-maze tests. In addition, we used biochemical assays to measure ammonia and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels in the hippocampi of the mice and AβO-treated primary mouse astrocytes. Aβ, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and the expression of inflammatory markers were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We observed that H2 treatment significantly prevented cognitive deficits, oxidative stress, the accumulation of toxic metabolites, and the increase in inflammatory markers in 5xFAD mice. These results suggest that H2 therapy can mitigate toxic metabolites in the astrocytic urea cycle, thereby reducing neurodegeneration and memory loss in AD.