Hydrogen Gas Inhalation Reduces Asthma Symptoms in Mice Study
- Authors
- Ning Zhang, Changwen Deng, Xingxing Zhang, Jingxi Zhang, Chong Bai
- Journal
- Asthma Research and Practice
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1186/s40733-018-0040-y
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Allergic Asthma
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas helped improve lung function and reduce airway inflammation in mice with asthma-like symptoms.
Key Finding
Inhaling hydrogen gas reduced lung resistance, decreased inflammatory cells and immune markers in asthmatic mice, and boosted the body's natural antioxidant defenses.
Summary
Researchers tested whether breathing hydrogen gas could help mice with allergic asthma. Asthmatic mice that inhaled high-concentration hydrogen gas for one hour daily for a week showed improvements in lung function, less inflammation in their airways, and reduced markers of cellular damage (oxidative stress) compared to untreated asthmatic mice.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage animal study suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may help reduce airway inflammation and oxidative stress in asthma, but much more research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn for humans. The study was conducted only in mice, so results may not translate directly to people with asthma.
Abstract
Background Asthma is a worldwide common chronic airway disease that cannot be cured and results in the huge burden in public health. Oxidative stress was considered an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of asthma. Hydrogen gas been demonstrated to function as a novel antioxidant and exert therapeutic antioxidant activity in a number of diseases and the function of this nontoxic gas in asthma was unclear. The purpose of the study aims to examine the effect of inhalation hydrogen gas on the pathophysiology of a mouse model of asthma. Methods A murine model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic airway inflammation was used in this study. Briefly, Mice were sensitized to ovalbumin and received inhalation of 67% high concentration of hydrogen gas for 60 min once a day for 7 consecutive days after OVA or PBS challenge respectively. Lung function was assessed in the apparatus with 4 channels of biological signal system. Morphology and goblet cell hyperplasia were stained by H/E and Periodic acid-Schiff staining. Cytologic classification in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed by Wright Giemsa staining. Serum, BALF and lung tissue were collected for biochemical assay. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine statistical significance between groups. Multiple comparisons were made by Bonferroni’s Multiple Comparison Test by using GraphPad Prism 5 software. Results Inhalation of hydrogen gas abrogated ovalbumin-induced the increase in lung resistance. Concomitantly, the asthmatic mice showed severe inflammatory infiltration and goblet cell hyperplasia which were reversed by hydrogen gas inhalation. Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced significantly the number of total cells, eosinophils and lymphocytes in BALF. Increased level of IL-4, IL-13, TNF-α and CXCL15 in the BALF and IL-4 in the serum were decreased significantly after inhalation. Hydrogen gas inhalation markedly upregulated the activity of decreased superoxide dismutase and significantly attenuated the increased level of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase. Conclusions Hydrogen gas inhalation improves lung function and protects established airway inflammation in the allergic asthmatic mice model which may be associated with the inhibition of oxidative stress process. This study provides a potential alternative therapeutic opportunity for the clinical management of asthma.