Hydrogen Gas Prevents Lung Transplant Damage in Rats
- Authors
- Tomohiro Kawamura, Chien-Sheng Huang, Naobumi Tochigi, Sungsoo Lee, Norihisa Shigemura, Timothy R. Billiar, Meinoshin Okumura, Atsunori Nakao, Yoshiya Toyoda
- Journal
- Transplantation
- Year
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.1097/TP.0b013e3181fe1357
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- United States
- Health Condition
- Lung Transplant Complications
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas during and after lung transplant surgery in rats significantly reduced lung damage and improved lung function.
Key Finding
Inhaled hydrogen gas (2% H2) significantly improved lung graft function and reduced injury markers in transplanted rat lungs, including better oxygen exchange and decreased oxidative stress and inflammation.
Summary
This study tested whether inhaled hydrogen gas could protect lung grafts from damage during transplantation in rats. When lungs are transplanted, they experience a period without blood flow (ischemia) followed by blood flow restoration (reperfusion), which causes injury through oxidative stress and inflammation. Rats that breathed 2% hydrogen gas during and after transplant surgery showed significantly better lung function, less oxidative damage, and reduced inflammation compared to rats breathing other gas mixtures.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen gas may have protective effects during lung transplantation, but results cannot yet be applied to humans. Further research, including human clinical trials, would be needed to determine whether this approach could benefit lung transplant patients.
Abstract
Successful abrogation of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of lung grafts could significantly improve short- and long-term outcomes for lung transplant (LTx) recipients. Hydrogen gas has potent antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties and has been recently used in number of experimental and clinical studies. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether inhaled hydrogen gas could reduce graft I/R injury during lung transplantation. Orthotopic left LTxs were performed in syngenic Lewis rats. Grafts were perfused with and stored in low potassium dextran solution at 4°C for 6 hr. The recipients received 100% O2 or 98% O2 with 2% N2, 2% He, or 2% H2 during surgery and 1 hr after reperfusion. The effects of hydrogen were assessed by functional, pathologic, and molecular analysis. Gas exchange was markedly impaired in animals exposed to 100% O2, 2% N2, or 2% He. Hydrogen inhalation attenuated graft injury as indicated by significantly improved gas exchange 2 hr after reperfusion. Graft lipid peroxidation was significantly reduced in the presence of hydrogen, demonstrating antioxidant effects of hydrogen in the transplanted lungs. Lung cold I/R injury causes the rapid production and release of several proinflammatory mediators and epithelial apoptosis. Exposure to 2% H2 significantly blocked the production of several proinflammatory mediators and reduced apoptosis with induction of the antiapoptotic molecules B-cell lymphoma-2 and B-cell lymphoma-extra large. Treatment of LTx recipients with inhaled hydrogen can prevent lung I/R injury and significantly improve the function of lung grafts after extended cold preservation, transplant, and reperfusion.