Hydrogen Pill Improves Skin Graft Survival in Surgery Study
- Authors
- Naoya Otani, Koichi Tomita, Yuki Kobayashi, Kazuya Kuroda, Yoshihisa Koyama, Hikaru Kobayashi, Tateki Kubo
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-022-10228-6
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
- Body System
- Integumentary
TL;DR
An orally administered silicon-based agent helps protect skin grafts from damage caused by temporary loss and restoration of blood flow.
Key Finding
An orally administered silicon-based hydrogen-generating agent significantly improved skin flap survival in rats undergoing ischemia-reperfusion injury by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death.
Summary
Researchers tested whether a silicon-based substance that generates hydrogen gas in the stomach could protect skin tissue during a surgical procedure in rats. When skin flaps are surgically moved and blood flow is temporarily cut off then restored, the tissue can be damaged by oxidative stress (harmful chemical reactions) and inflammation. Rats given the silicon-based agent before and after surgery had better skin flap survival and showed lower levels of tissue damage, inflammation, and cell death compared to rats that didn't receive it.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting that a hydrogen-generating oral supplement may help protect tissue during reconstructive surgery. However, this research was conducted only in rats, and the study does not report sample size or duration details. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before any clinical recommendations could be made.
Abstract
Hydrogen is effective against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in skin flaps. However, the difficulty of continuously administering a sufficient amount of hydrogen using conventional methods has been an issue in the clinical application of hydrogen-based therapy. An Si-based agent administered orally was previously shown to continuously generate a large amount of hydrogen in the intestinal environment. In this study, we assessed the effect of the Si-based agent on the inhibition of I/R injury in skin flaps using a rat model. In the I/R groups, the vascular pedicle of the abdominal skin flap was occluded for three hours followed by reperfusion. In the I/R + Si group, the Si-based agent was administered perioperatively. After reperfusion, flap survival rate, blood flow, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory markers/findings, and degree of apoptosis were evaluated. Flap survival rate was significantly higher, and histological inflammation, apoptotic cells, oxidative stress markers, and levels of inflammatory cytokine mRNA and protein expression were significantly lower, in the I/R + Si group compared to the I/R group. The Si-based agent suppressed oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory reactions resulting from I/R injury, thereby contributing to improvements in skin flap survival.