Hydrogen Gas Inhalation Protects Heart from Damage in Animal Study
Inhalation of hydrogen gas protects against myocardial stunning and infarction in swine
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (pig)
- Authors
- Kazuyuki Sakai, Sungsam Cho, Itsuko Shibata, Osamu Yoshitomi, Takuji Maekawa, Koji Sumikawa
- Journal
- Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal
- Year
- 2012
- PMID
- 22263852
- Study Type
- Pig
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 2% H2 plus 98% oxygen during ischemia and reperfusion; 4% H2 plus 96% oxygen during ischemia and reperfusion
- H₂ concentration
- 2% H2 and 4% H2
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 20 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas can help protect pigs' heart muscles from damage caused by temporarily stopping and then restarting blood flow.
Key Finding
Inhaling 2% hydrogen gas improved heart muscle function recovery by 54% compared to oxygen alone, and inhaling 4% hydrogen gas reduced heart tissue damage by 30% compared to oxygen alone in pigs with simulated heart attacks.
Summary
This study tested whether inhaling hydrogen gas could protect pig hearts from damage caused by temporarily cutting off blood flow and then restoring it (a condition called ischemia-reperfusion injury). Researchers compared pigs that breathed regular oxygen to those that breathed oxygen mixed with hydrogen gas at different concentrations. They found that inhaling 2% hydrogen gas improved heart function recovery after brief blood flow interruption, while 4% hydrogen gas reduced the size of heart tissue damage after longer blood flow interruption.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research conducted only in pigs, not humans. While the results suggest hydrogen gas inhalation may have protective effects on heart tissue during blood flow interruption, much more research—including human clinical trials—would be needed before any therapeutic claims could be made. The dose-dependent effect (different concentrations worked better for different types of injury) also suggests that if hydrogen were ever tested in humans, the right dose would be critical.
Abstract (excerpt)
The present study was carried out to determine whether inhalation of hydrogen (H(2)) gas protects myocardium against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in swine. In anesthetized open-chest swine, myocardial stunning was produced by 12-minute occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery…