Hydrogen Water Reduces Nerve Pain in Mice Study
- Authors
- Masanori Kawaguchi, Yasushi Satoh, Yukiko Otsubo, Tomiei Kazama
- Journal
- PLoS One
- Year
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0100352
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Neuropathic Pain
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-enriched water can reduce nerve pain and damage in mice by lowering oxidative stress.
Key Finding
Drinking hydrogen-enriched water reduced both mechanical pain sensitivity and heat sensitivity in mice with nerve injuries, particularly when administered during the early phase after injury.
Summary
Researchers tested whether drinking water containing molecular hydrogen could reduce nerve pain in mice with a specific type of nerve injury. Mice that drank hydrogen-enriched water showed reduced pain responses compared to controls, and the treatment appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called oxidative stress in the nervous system. The treatment was most effective when given early after the nerve injury occurred.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen water may help with neuropathic pain by reducing oxidative stress in nerve tissue. However, results in mice do not automatically translate to humans, and no human trials have been conducted yet. More research, including human studies, would be needed before drawing conclusions about effectiveness in people with nerve pain.
Abstract
Neuropathic pain remains intractable and the development of new therapeutic strategies are urgently required. Accumulating evidence indicates that overproduction of oxidative stress is a key event in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. However, repeated intra-peritoneal or intrathecal injections of antioxidants are unsuitable for continuous use in therapy. Here we show a novel therapeutic method against neuropathic pain: drinking water containing molecular hydrogen (H2) as antioxidant. The effect of hydrogen on neuropathic pain was investigated using a partial sciatic nerve ligation model in mice. As indicators of neuropathic pain, temporal aspects of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were analysed for 3 weeks after ligation. Mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were measured using the von Frey test and the plantar test, respectively. When mice were allowed to drink water containing hydrogen at a saturated level ad libitum after ligation, both allodynia and hyperalgesia were alleviated. These symptoms were also alleviated when hydrogen was administered only for the induction phase (from day 0 to 4 after ligation). When hydrogen was administered only for the maintenance phase (from day 4 to 21 after ligation), hyperalgesia but not allodynia was alleviated. Immunohistochemical staining for the oxidative stress marker, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, showed that hydrogen administration suppressed oxidative stress induced by ligation in the spinal cord and the dorsal root ganglion. In conclusion, oral administration of hydrogen water may be useful for alleviating neuropathic pain in a clinical setting.