Hydrogen Water Helps Reduce Gut Inflammation in Colitis Mice Study
- Authors
- Lihua Song, Yao Zhang, Chuang Zhu, Xinwen Ding, Li Yang, Hongli Yan
- Journal
- Advances in Medical Sciences
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.advms.2021.10.002
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Body System
- Digestive System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water helped reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and harmful bacteria in mice with a condition similar to human ulcerative colitis.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water partially reduced inflammation, oxidative stress, and harmful bacterial overgrowth in mice with chronic ulcerative colitis, while also lowering inflammatory markers like TNF-α and increasing protective antioxidants.
Summary
Researchers gave mice with artificially-induced ulcerative colitis (a chronic intestinal inflammation disease) hydrogen-rich water to see if it could help. The hydrogen-rich water reduced inflammation markers, boosted the mice's natural antioxidant defenses (protective molecules that fight cellular damage), and helped restore a healthier balance of gut bacteria. The treatment also affected the activity of hundreds of genes, particularly those involved in inflammation.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage mouse study suggests hydrogen-rich water may help address some of the underlying problems in ulcerative colitis, but these results cannot yet be applied to humans. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed to determine if hydrogen water could be beneficial for people with this condition.
Abstract
Purpose: Oxidative damage and intestinal flora dysbiosis play important roles in the progression of chronic ulcerative colitis (UC). This study explored the effect and mechanism of molecular hydrogen in chronic UC. Materials and methods: Male C57BL/6 mice (19.6 ± 0.4 g, 7 weeks) were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal control (NC) group, UC (Dextran Sulfate Sodium, DSS) group, and hydrogen-rich water (HRW, 0.8 ppm)-treated UC (DSS + HRW) group. Mice in the DSS treatment group were treated with DSS for the following 3 cycles to establish chronic UC model: the first 2 cycles consisted of 2.5% DSS for 5 days, followed by drinking water for 16 days, and a third cycle consisted of 2% DSS for 4 days, followed by drinking water for 10 days. The mice in the DSS + HRW group were administered HRW daily throughout the experiment. Results: The mice in the DSS groups developed typical clinical signs of colitis. HRW treatment partially ameliorated colitis symptoms, improved histopathological changes, significantly increased glutathione (GSH) concentration and decreased TNF-α level. Notably, HRW treatment significantly inhibited the growth of Enterococcus faecalis, Clostridium perfringens and Bacteroides fragilis (P < 0.05 vs. DSS group), with the relative abundance that was close to the levels in the NC group. Microarray analysis revealed that 252 genes were significantly modified after HRW treatment compared with those in the DSS treatment alone group, and 17 genes were related to inflammation, including 9 interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Conclusions: Hydrogen-rich water partially alleviates inflammation, oxidative stress and intestinal flora dysbiosis in DSS-induced chronic UC mice.