Hydrogen Water Speeds Bone Healing in Postmenopausal Fractures
- Authors
- Jialiang Guo, Siyu Tian, Zhongzheng Wang, Yuchuan Wang, Xiaojuan Zhang, Yingze Zhang, Zhiyong Hou, Weichong Dong
- Journal
- Frontiers in Endocrinology
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.3389/fendo.2022.962303
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Osteoporotic Fractures
- Body System
- Skeletal System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water (HRW) may help improve the healing of fractures in menopausal women with osteoporosis by affecting cellular stress responses.
Key Finding
Hydrogen saline water accelerated fracture healing in osteoporotic rats by suppressing autophagy and activating an antioxidant signaling pathway called Keap1-Nrf2, particularly during early stages of healing.
Summary
Researchers gave hydrogen-enriched saline water to rats with osteoporosis-related bone fractures to see if it would help healing. They found that the hydrogen water treatment improved fracture healing by reducing a cellular cleanup process called autophagy and activating a protective pathway in cells that fights oxidative stress (cellular damage from reactive molecules). The treatment appeared most helpful early in the healing process.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen water may help with bone fracture healing in osteoporosis, but it is early-stage animal research only—no human trials have been conducted. The study did not report sample size or treatment duration, limiting how much can be concluded. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before any recommendations could be made for osteoporotic fracture patients.
Abstract
ObjectiveThe treatment of osteoporotic fractures is difficult, and to minimize the negative result or poor functional rehabilitation, this study focuses on hydrogen water (HRW) to test its effect on the process of menopausal osteoporotic fracture healing and its relationship with autophagy and to try to reveal the potential mechanism of action of HRW on osteoporotic fractures.Materials and methodsA rat osteoporotic fracture model was established, and HRW was systematically applied with or without 3MA. The results were analyzed with X-rays, micro-CT scans, serum biomarker analysis, biomechanical tests, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting. The sham, OVX, OH (OVX+HRW) and OHA (OVX+HRW+3MA) groups were formed and compared.ResultsIncreased oxidative stress and autophagy levels were necessary physiological responses in the process of fracture healing. It was found that systemic HRW treatment slightly suppressed autophagy and then activated the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway by maintaining the Keap1-Nrf2-P62 interaction and improved the osteoporotic fracture healing process.ConclusionHRW treatment activated the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway to antagonize cellular stress by suppressing autophagy levels, especially at the early stage of the fracture healing process, and this was beneficial to osteoporotic fracture healing in rats.