Hydrogen Gas Shows Promise for Liver Preservation in Transplant Surgery

Summary by Hydrogen Studies Editorial Team · Updated

Authors
Journal
Transplantation Proceedings
Year
DOI
10.1016/j.transproceed.2023.02.036
Study Type
Rat
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Japan
Health Condition
End-Stage Liver Disease
Body System
Hepatic

TL;DR

Adding hydrogen gas to a special cold preservation method for rat livers donated after death improves some aspects of liver health and structure.

Key Finding

Hydrogen gas added during machine preservation reduced cell death and preserved cellular structures in rat livers, but did not restore critical liver functions like bile production or oxygen consumption.

Summary

Researchers tested whether adding hydrogen gas to a machine that preserves donor livers (from donors who had stopped breathing) could reduce damage during storage and improve function after transplant. In rat livers, hydrogen gas reduced certain types of cell death and preserved the internal structures of cells, but it did not improve the liver's ability to produce bile or use oxygen—key measures of whether a liver would actually work after transplant.

Practical Takeaway

This early-stage rat study suggests hydrogen gas may help protect liver cells during the preservation process, but it was not enough to restore full organ function. Much more research is needed before this approach could be tested in humans, and the findings highlight that reducing cell damage alone may not be sufficient for successful organ transplantation.

Abstract (excerpt)

Background: We have previously reported the efficacy of post-reperfusion H2 gas treatment in cold storage (CS) and subsequent reperfusion of the rat liver. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of H2 gas treatment during hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) in rat livers retrieved…

Read the full abstract via DOI