Hydrogen Gas Slows Lung Cancer Growth by Reprogramming Immune Cells
- Authors
- Qing-Qing Liu, Chen-Bing Zhao, Zhuo Wang, Mengfang Sun, Ke-Rong Qi, Han Liu, Qian Li, Yashuo Zhao, Ya-Jing Guo, En-Sheng Ji
- Journal
- Nature Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-026-57825-3
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Lung Cancer
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Hydrogen suppressed lung tumor growth in intermittent hypoxia models, partly by shifting macrophages toward an M1 phenotype and inhibiting CCL2-CCR2 signaling.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas suppressed tumor growth in mice with chronic intermittent hypoxia by shifting immune cells toward a cancer-fighting state and blocking a key signaling pathway that promotes tumor spread.
Summary
Researchers studied whether hydrogen gas could help slow lung cancer growth in mice, especially those with a condition that mimics sleep apnea (repeated drops in oxygen). They found that hydrogen treatment reduced tumor growth by changing how immune cells (called macrophages) behaved around the tumors and by blocking a chemical pathway that helps tumors spread. Hydrogen also directly slowed the growth and movement of cancer cells in laboratory tests.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research conducted only in mice, not humans. While the results are promising for potential future cancer therapies, it is far too soon to draw conclusions about hydrogen's effectiveness for lung cancer in people. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before hydrogen could be considered a legitimate cancer treatment.
Abstract
Lung cancer remains a major challenge in clinical treatment, as current therapeutic strategies often fail to effectively halt disease progression. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), a hallmark pathological feature of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has been implicated in promoting tumor invasion and metastasis. This study aimed to investigate the potential of hydrogen as an innovative adjunctive therapy for lung cancer. To evaluate the therapeutic effects of hydrogen, both in vitro and in vivo models were established. In vitro, an intermittent hypoxia (IH) tumor cell-macrophage co-culture system was used to assess cell proliferation, migration, and macrophage polarization. In vivo, tumor growth was monitored in a CIH mouse model, and tissue samples were subsequently analyzed via immunohistochemistry and western blot. Our results demonstrated that hydrogen exerted significant antitumor effects in vivo. Mechanistically, this effect was associated with a shift in macrophage polarization toward the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype and suppression of the CCL2-CCR2 signaling axis. In addition, in vitro studies revealed that hydrogen directly inhibited lung cancer cell survival and migration, and downregulated key components of the CCL2-CCR2 pathway, mirroring the effects observed with a CCR2 inhibitor. These findings highlighted that hydrogen treatment suppressed tumor growth by modulating the tumor immune microenvironment and inhibiting angiogenesis. Collectively, our results suggested that hydrogen may represented a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for lung cancer.