Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise for Bone Marrow Transplant Side Effects
- Authors
- Li-Ren Qian, Jianliang Shen
- Journal
- Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
- Year
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.1111/jcmm.12081
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease
- Body System
- Immune System
TL;DR
Scientists found that breathing in hydrogen gas might help stop a serious side effect called GVHD that happens after blood stem cell transplants, because hydrogen reduces harmful chemicals in the body that cause inflammation and damage.
Key Finding
Hydrogen therapy has not yet been tested in this study; the abstract describes a proposed research plan based on the hypothesis that hydrogen's antioxidant properties may reduce inflammatory markers involved in acute graft-versus-host disease.
Summary
This study proposes testing whether hydrogen therapy could help treat acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), a serious complication that occurs when immune cells from a donor attack a transplant recipient's body after stem cell transplantation. The researchers hypothesize that hydrogen may work by reducing harmful oxygen molecules and lowering inflammatory proteins that contribute to aGVHD. The study outlines plans to test this in mice by measuring blood counts, disease signs, and levels of inflammatory markers.
Practical Takeaway
This is a theoretical proposal, not a completed study with results, so no conclusions about hydrogen's effectiveness for aGVHD can be drawn yet. The research has not been conducted in humans and remains in the planning stage. Anyone with aGVHD should discuss treatment options only with their transplant physician, as this remains experimental.
Abstract
Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been widely used for the treatment of haematological malignant and non-malignant haematologic diseases. However, acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a kind of severe complication of HSCT limiting its application. Cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6 play an extremely important role in the formation and development of aGVHD. Besides, the oxidation phenomena and/or the formation of free radicals have been suggested to be causally related to various haematological disorders including aGVHD. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl radicals, play an important role in the formation and development of aGVHD. Hydrogen has been reported to have the ability to inhibit levels of cytokines such as TNF, IL-6 in vivo. Our recent studies provided evidence that hydrogen inhalation can selectively reduce cytotoxic oxygen radicals and exert antioxidant effects. Therefore, we suggested that hydrogen may have therapeutic effects on aGVHD. This hypothesis entails many experimentally testable predictions. We propose the experimental study by detecting complete blood counts (CBC) and Clinic signs of aGVHD mice. We also propose to detect the levels of TNF-α, IL-2, IL-1β, IL-6 which play important roles in the pathogenesis of aGVHD. To discover potential mechanisms of the therapeutic effects of hydrogen on the aGVHD model, we will examine gene-expression profiles. This study will open a new therapeutic avenue combining the field of therapeutic medical gases and aGVHD. This theory is original and probably of importance, because therapeutic medical gases have never been used for aGVHD previously.