Hydrogen Gas Inhalation Prevents Kidney Stones in Mice Study
- Authors
- Zhongjiang Peng, Wei Chen, Li Wang, Zhouheng Ye, Songyan Gao, Xuejun Sun, Zhiyong Guo
- Journal
- International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology
- Year
- 2015
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Nephrolithiasis
- Body System
- Urinary
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas can help prevent kidney stone formation and kidney damage in mice.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced kidney stone crystal formation and protected against kidney injury in mice exposed to a stone-forming chemical, by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.
Summary
Researchers exposed mice to a chemical that causes kidney stones (calcium oxalate crystals) to form, then tested whether breathing hydrogen gas could help prevent this damage. Mice that inhaled hydrogen gas for 30 minutes daily showed fewer kidney crystals, less kidney damage, and reduced signs of oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) compared to mice that didn't receive hydrogen treatment.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage mouse study suggests hydrogen gas may help prevent kidney stone formation and related kidney damage, but human studies are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about its usefulness for people. The findings are promising but limited to laboratory animals, so it's too soon to recommend hydrogen therapy for kidney stone prevention.
Abstract
The aim of this study is to evaluate the protective effect and underlying mechanism of hydrogen gas (H2) to glyoxylate induced renal calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal deposition in mice. In present work, rodent renal CaOx crystal deposition model was introduced by intra-abdominal injection of glyoxylate (100 mg/kg/d) for 5 days. Two days before administration of glyoxylate, inhalation of H2 for 30 min per day was initiated and continued for 7 days. By the end of the study, the samples of 24 hours urine, serum and renal tissue were collected for biochemical and pathological assay. According to levels of urine calcium excretion, renal calcium deposition, a serum excretion of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) assay and a TUNEL assay, inhalation of H2 could successfully decrease the CaOx crystallizations and protect against renal injury. Crystal deposition in the kidneys is associated with oxidative stress, which was indicated by increased levels of renal malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT). These effects were reversed by a high-dose H2 pretreatment. The renal expressions of osteopontin (OPN), CD44, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were markedly increased in glyoxylate-treated mice, and H2 significantly attenuated the increase of OPN, CD44 and MCP-1 but upregulated the expression of IL-10. Our findings demonstrate that inhalation of H2 reduces renal crystallization, renal oxidative injury and inflammation and it may be a candidate agent with few adverse effects for prevention of nephrolithiasis.