Hydrogen Gas Helps Heal Hearts After Heart Attack in Rats
- Authors
- Chaoqun Nie, Rentong Zou, Shuang Pan, Rong A, Yunan Gao, Hongxiao Yang, Juncai Bai, Shuiqing Xi, Xue Wang, Xiaojian Hong, Wei Yang
- Journal
- Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.1111/jcmm.16863
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Myocardial Infarction
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas helps improve heart function and reduce heart scarring in rats after a heart attack.
Key Finding
Inhaling hydrogen gas at 2% concentration for 28 days significantly reduced cardiac scarring and improved heart function in rats with heart attack damage, primarily by reducing inflammatory cell death.
Summary
This study tested whether inhaling hydrogen gas could help repair heart damage in rats that had suffered a heart attack. Rats breathed in 2% hydrogen gas for 3 hours daily over 28 days. The treatment improved heart function and reduced scarring (fibrosis) in the heart tissue. Laboratory experiments showed hydrogen gas also protected heart cells from damage and reduced the activity of cells that cause scarring.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research in rats only, so results cannot yet be applied to humans. The study suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may have protective effects on heart tissue after injury, but human clinical trials would be needed to determine if this approach is safe and effective for people with heart disease.
Abstract
AbstractIt is noteworthy that prolonged cardiac structural changes and excessive fibrosis caused by myocardial infarction (MI) seriously interfere with the treatment of heart failure in clinical practice. Currently, there are no effective and practical means of either prevention or treatment. Thus, novel therapeutic approaches are critical for the long‐term quality of life of individuals with myocardial ischaemia. Herein, we aimed to explore the protective effect of H2, a novel gas signal molecule with anti‐oxidative stress and anti‐inflammatory effects, on cardiac remodelling and fibrosis in MI rats, and to explore its possible mechanism. First, we successfully established MI model rats, which were then exposed to H2 inhalation with 2% concentration for 28 days (3 hours/day). The results showed that hydrogen gas can significantly improve cardiac function and reduce the area of cardiac fibrosis. In vitro experiments further proved that H2 can reduce the hypoxia‐induced damage to cardiomyocytes and alleviate angiotensin II‐induced migration and activation of cardiac fibroblasts. In conclusion, herein, we illustrated for the first time that inhalation of H2 ameliorates myocardial infarction‐induced cardiac remodelling and fibrosis in MI rats and exert its protective effect mainly through inhibiting NLRP3‐mediated pyroptosis.