Hydrogen Gas Protects Hearing from Cancer Drug Side Effects
- Authors
- Juan Qu, Xu Li, Juan Wang, Wenjuan Mi, Keliang Xie, Jian-Hua Qiu
- Journal
- International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
- Year
- 2011
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijporl.2011.10.014
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cisplatin-induced Ototoxicity
- Body System
- Auditory
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas can reduce hearing loss and ear damage caused by the cancer drug cisplatin.
Key Finding
Inhaling hydrogen gas significantly reduced hearing loss and inner ear cell damage caused by cisplatin in rats, while also lowering oxidative stress markers in blood and ear tissue.
Summary
This rat study tested whether inhaling hydrogen gas could protect hearing from damage caused by cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug known to harm the inner ear. Rats given cisplatin plus hydrogen gas inhalation experienced less hearing loss and less damage to sound-sensing cells in the ear compared to rats given cisplatin alone. The researchers also found that hydrogen gas reduced markers of oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) in both the blood and ear tissue.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage animal research suggesting hydrogen gas inhalation may help protect hearing during cisplatin chemotherapy. However, this was a rat study only, and the sample size and treatment duration were not reported. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before this could be considered a viable protective strategy for cancer patients.
Abstract (excerpt)
Cisplatin, an anticancer drug used extensively to treat a broad range of tumors, has strong ototoxic side effects induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recently, it has been reported that hydrogen gas (H(2)) is a new antioxidant by selectively reducing hydroxyl radical, the most cytotoxic ROS…