Hydrogen Gas Prevents Bone Loss by Blocking Bone-Destroying Cells
- Authors
- Yong Liu, De-Li Wang, Yong-Can Huang, Tian-Bing Wang, Hui Zeng
- Journal
- Materials Science and Engineering C
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.msec.2020.110640
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Bone Loss
- Body System
- Musculoskeletal
TL;DR
Hydrogen gas, a byproduct of magnesium alloy implants, can significantly reduce the formation and activity of bone-resorbing cells, potentially aiding in the healing of bone fractures.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas at 50-75% concentration significantly inhibited the formation and function of osteoclasts (bone-resorbing cells) in laboratory-cultured mouse bone marrow cells.
Summary
Researchers studied how hydrogen gas affects bone cells in a laboratory setting, specifically cells that break down bone (called osteoclasts). They exposed mouse bone marrow cells to different amounts of hydrogen gas for varying lengths of time and measured how many osteoclasts formed and how active they were. They found that higher concentrations of hydrogen gas (50-75%) reduced the formation of these bone-breaking cells, slowed their growth, and triggered their death.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage laboratory study in mouse cells, not humans, so it cannot yet inform practical health decisions. The findings suggest hydrogen gas may theoretically help prevent excessive bone breakdown, but much more research—including animal studies and eventually human trials—would be needed before any therapeutic application. The study's relevance to hydrogen water consumption is unclear, as the research used direct hydrogen gas exposure rather than dissolved hydrogen in water.
Abstract
Hydrogen (H2) is one of the major biodegradation products of magnesium (Mg) alloys implanted for bony fracture healing and reconstruction; H2 thus plays a significant role in the regulation of local microenvironment and the biology of resident cells. The interactions between the H2 and the local cells are of great interest, and a full understanding of the effect of H2 on bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) would accelerate the development of effective strategies for successful bony healing. This study investigates how H2, with different concentrations and durations, regulates the osteoclastogenesis of mouse BMMCs. First, using H2 with five concentrations (0%, 2%, 25%, 50% and 75%) and three durations (5, 7 and 10 days), the osteoclastogenesis of mouse BMMCs in these H2 conditions were measured using TRAP staining, F-actin ring formation assay, pit formation assay and RT-qPCR analysis. Based on these findings, the proliferation assay, apoptosis assay, western blot analysis and ELISA assay of BMMCs after osteoclast induction were performed. The findings showed that H2 (especially the 50% and 75% H2) obviously inhibited the osteoclast formation, function and osteoclast-related genes expression of osteoclast-induced BMMCs; additionally, H2 (50%) was found to reduce the proliferation, promote the apoptosis and inhibit the expression of osteoclast-related proteins of BMMCs with the presence of osteoclast-induced medium. Therefore, H2 significantly inhibited the osteoclastogenesis of mouse BMMCs, which may become a new therapeutic agent for anti-bony resorption and open new avenues for the translational research of Mg alloys.