Hydrogen Therapy Prevents Liver Failure After Major Surgery in Rats
- Authors
- Yun Chang Tan, Feng Xie, Hui Lu Zhang, Yu Li Zhu, Ke Chen, Hua Min Tan, Ben Shun Hu, Jia Mei Yang, Jing Wang Tan
- Journal
- Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology
- Year
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.clinre.2013.11.007
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Liver Failure
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich saline (HS) significantly improves survival and reduces liver damage and inflammation in rats after a major liver surgery.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline improved survival rates and reduced liver damage markers in rats after massive liver removal, working by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.
Summary
Researchers gave rats hydrogen-rich saline (a salt solution containing dissolved hydrogen gas) after removing 90% of their liver to see if it could prevent liver failure. The treatment improved survival rates, reduced markers of liver damage in the blood, decreased inflammation in liver tissue, and lowered oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules). The hydrogen-rich saline appeared to work by blocking inflammatory pathways in the liver.
Practical Takeaway
While this rat study suggests hydrogen-rich saline may help prevent liver failure after major surgery, it's important to note this is early-stage animal research only. Human studies would be needed before any clinical use in surgical patients. The findings are interesting for future research but don't yet support use in people.
Abstract
Background/Aims A major hepatectomy occasionally lead to acute liver failure and death. We demonstrated the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and functional mechanisms of hydrogen-rich saline (HS), a novel antioxidant, on an experimental model of rats after a partial hepatectomy (PH). Methods The rats underwent a 90% hepatectomy. HS was given intraperitoneally after the operation and every 8 hours after. Results HS markedly improved the survival rate of two experimental groups after the massive hepatectomy and inhibited increases in serum levels of TBIL, DBIL, ALT and AST. The histopathological analysis demonstrated that HS attenuated inflammatory changes in the liver. HS administration markedly lowered the massive hepatectomy induced elevation of the serum hyaluronic acid (HA) concentrations. HS inhibited the formation of one of the markers of oxidative damage, malondialdehyde (MDA), and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in liver tissue. In the HS-treated group, increases in inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6 and HMGB-1, were inhibited in the liver tissue. The NF-κB p65 staining revealed that HS inhibited the activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB). Conclusions HS attenuates the massive hepatectomy induced liver injury not only by attenuating oxidative damage, but also by reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6 and HMGB-1, in part through the inhibition of NF-kB activation.