Hydrogen Water Reduces Chronic Pain and Depression in Nerve Injury Study
- Authors
- Maria Martínez-Serrat, Ignacio Martínez-Martel, Santiago Coral-Pérez, Xue Bai, Gerard Batallé, Olga Pol
- Journal
- Antioxidants
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.3390/antiox11091826
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Spain
- Health Condition
- Chronic Neuropathic Pain
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water may help reduce chronic nerve pain and improve mood in mice.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water reduced pain sensitivity and improved mood-related symptoms in mice with chronic nerve pain, while also activating protective antioxidant systems in nerve tissue.
Summary
This study tested hydrogen-rich water in mice with nerve pain caused by nerve compression. The mice treated with hydrogen-rich water showed reduced pain sensitivity, less anxiety, and improved mood compared to untreated mice. The researchers also found that hydrogen-rich water worked by reducing harmful molecules in nerve cells and activating protective enzymes.
Practical Takeaway
While this mouse study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help with nerve pain and associated mood problems, it is early-stage research that has not yet been tested in humans. The findings are promising but cannot be applied to human treatment without further clinical trials.
Abstract
Neuropathic pain manifested with allodynia and hyperalgesia usually becomes a chronic condition accompanied with mood disorders. Clinical therapies for neuropathic pain are still unsatisfactory with notable side effects. Recent studies have reported the protective role of molecular hydrogen (H2) in different diseases including neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's as well as its antidepressant activities in animals with chronic stress. This study explored the effects of treatment with hydrogen-rich water (HRW) in male mice with neuropathic pain induced by the chronic constriction of the sciatic nerve (CCI) and the accompanying affective deficits. The likely pathways implied in the HRW analgesic activity, as well as the interaction between heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) enzyme and H2 during neuropathic pain were also studied. The results showed: (i) the inhibitory effects of the repetitive treatment with HRW on the allodynia and hyperalgesia provoked by CCI; (ii) the anxiolytic and antidepressant actions of HRW in animals with neuropathic pain; (iii) the contribution of the antioxidant enzymes (HO-1 and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1) and the ATP sensitive potassium channels in the painkiller activities of HRW during neuropathic pain; (iv) a positive interaction between the HO-1 and H2 systems in inhibiting the CCI-induced neuropathy; and (v) the antioxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and/or antiapoptotic features of HRW treatment in the dorsal root ganglia and/or amygdala of sciatic nerve-injured mice. This study demonstrates new protective actions of H2 and suggests that treatment with HRW might be an interesting therapeutic strategy for chronic neuropathic pain and its associated mood disorders.