Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise for Treating COVID-19 Lung Inflammation

Authors
Journal
Biomedicines
Year
DOI
10.3390/biomedicines11071892
Study Type
clinical
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Pakistan
Health Condition
COVID-19
Body System
Respiratory

TL;DR

Scientists think a special gas called hydrogen might help people who have COVID-19 and other diseases that cause inflammation in the body, because it can reduce harmful stuff in cells and help the immune system work better. We need more research to be sure it works, but early tests show it's safe and could be a helpful new treatment.

Key Finding

Molecular hydrogen shows potential therapeutic effects for COVID-19 pneumonia and inflammatory diseases through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, though the underlying processes are not yet fully understood.

Summary

This review article examines how molecular hydrogen—a colorless, odorless gas—might help treat COVID-19 and other inflammatory diseases. Researchers suggest that hydrogen works by reducing harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species in cells and may help control inflammation and immune responses. The gas can be delivered by breathing it in, drinking hydrogen-enriched water, or through injection, though the exact mechanisms of how it works are not fully understood yet.

Practical Takeaway

This is a review article summarizing existing research rather than a new study with original results, and it does not report specific clinical trial data or sample sizes. While early evidence suggests hydrogen may have anti-inflammatory properties, claims about its effectiveness for COVID-19 or other conditions remain preliminary and require more rigorous human clinical trials before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Abstract

Molecular hydrogen is renowned as an odorless and colorless gas. The recommendations developed by China suggest that the inhalation of hydrogen molecules is currently advised in COVID-19 pneumonia treatment. The therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogens have been confirmed after numerous clinical trials and animal-model-based experiments, which have expounded that the low molecular weight of hydrogen enables it to easily diffuse and permeate through the cell membranes to produce a variety of biological impacts. A wide range of both chronic and acute inflammatory diseases, which may include sepsis, pancreatitis, respiratory disorders, autoimmune diseases, ischemia-reperfusion damages, etc. may be treated and prevented by using it. H2 can primarily be inoculated through inhalation, by drinking water (which already contains H2), or by administrating the injection of saline H2 in the body. It may play a pivotal role as an antioxidant, in regulating the immune system, in anti-inflammatory activities (mitochondrial energy metabolism), and cell death (apoptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy) by reducing the formation of excessive reactive O2 species and modifying the transcription factors in the nuclei of the cells. However, the fundamental process of molecular hydrogen is still not entirely understood. Molecular hydrogen H2 has a promising future in therapeutics based on its safety and possible usefulness. The current review emphasizes the antioxidative, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects of hydrogen molecules along with the underlying principle and fundamental mechanism involved, with a prime focus on the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). This review will also provide strategies and recommendations for the therapeutic and medicinal applications of the hydrogen molecule.