Hydrogen Water Reduces Gum Disease in Pregnant Rats
- Authors
- Yun-Zhi Shi, Song Jin, Hui-Hu Zheng, Han Qin, Shu-Cun Qin
- Journal
- Shanghai Journal of Stomatology
- Year
- 2018
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Pregnancy Gingivitis
- Body System
- Oral Health
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water appears to reduce gum inflammation in pregnant rats with experimentally induced gum disease.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water reduced inflammatory markers and oxidative stress in pregnancy-related gum disease in rats, suggesting it may help suppress the progression of pregnancy gingivitis.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water could reduce gum inflammation in pregnant rats that had gingivitis (gum disease) induced artificially. Researchers found that pregnant rats given hydrogen-rich water twice daily showed less inflammation and oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) in their gums compared to rats given regular water, with lower levels of inflammatory markers and higher levels of protective antioxidants.
Practical Takeaway
This is early, animal-only evidence that hydrogen-rich water may help with pregnancy-related gum inflammation by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. However, these findings are from rats, not humans, and much more research would be needed before drawing any conclusions about whether this would work in pregnant people. Anyone with pregnancy gingivitis should consult their dentist or healthcare provider about proven treatments.
Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the effect of hydrogen rich water on experimental gingivitis in SD rats during pregnancy. Methods: Female SD rats mated with male ones were chosen to induce experimental gingivitis after ligation for 2 weeks. The pregnant rats were randomly divided into control group, model group and HW group. In the control and model group, rats were given pure water, while animals in the HW group were given hydrogen-rich water twice a day. All pregnant animals were sacrificed on day 16 of pregnancy. The level of Prog, SOD and TNF-α in the gingiva of different groups were measured by ELISA, the expression of PR, NFκB and TNF-α were determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. SPSS 13.0 software package was used for data analysis. Results: Pregnancy gingivitis of SD rats could be induced by thread ligation. PR was mainly distributed in the gingival epithelium, while there was no significant difference of Prog and PR in the gingiva among different groups(P>0.05). Furthermore, in the model group, lower SOD level as well as higher NFκB and TNF-α level were found in the gingiva. Compared with the model group, the inflammatory response of pregnancy gingivitis in HW group was significantly suppressed along with decreased NFκB and TNF-α. Conclusions: Progesterone and its receptor may play an indirect role in the process of pregnancy gingivitis of rats. Hydrogen rich water may be beneficial in suppressing pregnancy gingivitis progress by decreasing inflammatory response related to gingival oxidative stress.