Breathing Hydrogen Gas Protects Liver During Major Surgery
- Authors
- Ondřej Malý, Ján Zajak, Radomír Hyšpler, Zdeněk Turek, David Astapenko, Daniel Jun, Nela Váňová, Aleš Kohout, Věra Radochová, Jiří Kotek, Jiří Páral
- Journal
- Annals of Translational Medicine
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.21037/atm.2019.11.43
- Study Type
- Pig
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Czech Republic
- Health Condition
- Liver Failure
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas during major liver surgery significantly reduced liver damage caused by reduced blood flow and its restoration in pigs.
Key Finding
Pigs that inhaled hydrogen gas during major liver surgery showed significantly reduced tissue damage and lower oxidative stress markers compared to pigs that did not receive hydrogen.
Summary
Researchers tested whether breathing hydrogen gas during liver surgery could reduce damage caused by temporarily cutting off blood flow to the liver. In a study with 12 pigs, 6 animals breathed hydrogen gas during surgery while 6 did not. After the surgery, livers from the hydrogen-treated group showed less tissue damage under the microscope, and blood tests showed lower markers of cellular damage from oxidative stress (a harmful chemical process). The findings suggest hydrogen gas may protect the liver during major surgical procedures.
Practical Takeaway
This early evidence from an animal study suggests that inhaled hydrogen may help protect liver tissue during surgery by reducing oxidative stress. However, this was a small study in pigs, not humans, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to people or what the practical implications might be for surgical patients. Further human research would be needed to determine if this approach could be used clinically.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background: Liver resection is a surgical procedure associated with a high risk of hepatic failure that can be fatal. One of the key mechanisms involves ischemia-reperfusion damage. Building on the well-known positive effects of hydrogen at mitigating this damage, the goal of this work was…