Hydrogen Water Protects Liver Cells and Fights Liver Cancer
- Authors
- Yuanren Gao, Shuai Jiang, Ying Xing, Yingwen Hou, Yi Yang, Xunbo Hou, Wanbin Chen, Jingwen Zhang, Luhao Chen, Yan Liu
- Journal
- ResearchSquare
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.21203/rs.3.rs-201468/v1
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Liver Cancer
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Drinking water with added hydrogen may help protect against liver damage and slow down liver cancer growth by affecting certain cell signals.
Key Finding
In laboratory cell cultures, hydrogen-rich water protected normal liver cells from injury and inhibited the growth of liver cancer cells by altering the activity of specific signaling proteins.
Summary
This laboratory study tested hydrogen-rich water on liver cells grown in dishes to see if it could protect normal liver cells from damage and slow the growth of liver cancer cells. Researchers found that hydrogen-rich water appeared to protect injured normal liver cells and reduced the growth of cancer cells by affecting specific proteins involved in cell signaling (the GP73/TGF-β pathway).
Practical Takeaway
While these early laboratory results are intriguing, this study was conducted only in cells grown in dishes, not in animals or humans. Much more research—including animal studies and human clinical trials—would be needed before hydrogen-rich water could be considered a treatment for liver disease or cancer. The findings suggest a potential mechanism worth investigating further, but cannot yet inform real-world health decisions.
Abstract
Background Liver cancer is an extremely heterogeneous malignant disease among tumors identified to date. In recent years, a large number of studies have found that low-concentration hydrogen or hydrogen-rich water or hydrogen-saturated physiological saline has a protective effect on many diseases. Observing the intervention effect of hydrogen-rich water and speculate whether its effect is regulated by GP73/TGF-β signaling pathway would provide a basis for clinical treatment using hydrogen in liver cancer.Method The(N-nitrosodiethylamine) DEN-induced LX-2 hepatocyte injury model, hepatocarcinoma cell(HepG2 cells), and normal hepatic stellate cell LX-2 and HepG2 co-culture system were treated with hydrogen-rich water, and the cell viability was measured by the Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)method. Also, the supernatant was collected to determination the transforming growth factor (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and osteopontin (OPN) content. Subsequently, qPCR method was employed to detect the expression of GP73, TGF-β, and Smad2 mRNA in the cell. Total cell protein was extracted, and the level of GP73, TGF-β, and Smad2 proteins in the cells was detected by Western blot.ResultAfter the intervention of hydrogen-rich water, DEN increases the activity of LX-2 hepatocytes, inhibits the secretion of TGF-β, downregulate the expression of GP73, TGF-β, and Smad2 mRNA in the injured LX-2 cells, inhibits the expression of GP73 and TGF-β proteins, and exerts a protective effect on injured cells. The intervention with hydrogen-rich water in HepG2 liver cancer cells inhibits the expression of GP73 mRNA and protein in the cells, upregulates the expression of TGF-β mRNA and protein, inhibits the expression of OPN, and exerts an anti-proliferation effect on liver cancer cells. In the co-culture system of LX-2 and HepG2, the effect of hydrogen-rich water showed different effects with the altered ratio of the two cells in the system.Conclusion Hydrogen-rich water has a protective effect on liver cell damage and an inhibitory effect on liver cancer cells, which is effectuated by regulating the GP73/TGF-β signaling pathway.