Hydrogen Therapy Prevents Artery Narrowing After Balloon Surgery
- Authors
- Yali Chen, Jinyao Jiang, Huibing Miao, Xingjuan Chen, Xuejun Sun, Yongjun Li
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Medicine
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.3892/ijmm.2013.1256
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Restenosis
- Body System
- Cardiovascular
TL;DR
A saline solution rich in hydrogen can prevent the excessive growth of the inner layers of arteries following injury by blocking certain cell growth pathways.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline significantly reduced abnormal thickening of blood vessel walls in rats and slowed the growth of vessel cells in laboratory tests by suppressing harmful molecules and blocking cell growth pathways.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich saline could prevent the thickening of blood vessel walls that sometimes occurs after balloon angioplasty (a procedure to open clogged arteries). Using rats and laboratory-grown vessel cells, they found that hydrogen-rich saline reduced this unwanted thickening by lowering harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species and blocking certain cell growth signals.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research conducted in rats and laboratory cells, not humans. While the results suggest hydrogen-rich saline may help prevent vessel re-narrowing after angioplasty, much more research—including human trials—would be needed before any clinical use. The study does not support using hydrogen water as a health supplement based on these findings alone.
Abstract
Hydrogen-rich saline has been reported to prevent neointimal hyperplasia induced by carotid balloon injury. The purpose of the present study was to further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Daily injection of a hydrogen-rich saline solution (HRSS) in rats was employed to study the effect of hydrogen on balloon injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia and the neointima/media ratio was assessed. HRSS significantly decreased the neointima area and neointima/media ratio in a dose-dependent manner. In vitro effects of hydrogen on fetal bovine serum (FBS)-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation were also investigated. Hydrogen-rich medium (HRM) inhibited rat VSMC proliferation and migration induced by 10% FBS. FBS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and activation of intracellular Ras, MEK1/2, ERK1/2, proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Akt were significantly inhibited by HRM. In addition, HRM blocked FBS-induced progression from the G0/G1 to the S-phase and increased the apoptosis rate of VSMCs. These results showed that hydrogen-rich saline was able to attenuate FBS-induced VSMC proliferation and neointimal hyperplasia by inhibiting ROS production and inactivating the Ras-ERK1/2-MEK1/2 and Akt pathways. Thus, HRSS may have potential therapeutic relevance for the prevention of human restenosis.