Hydrogen Water Protects Brain Cells in Parkinson's Disease Study
- Authors
- Yuan Fu, Mikako Ito, Yasunori Fujita, Masafumi Ito, Masatoshi Ichihara, Akio Masuda, Yumi Suzuki, Satoshi Maesawa, Yasukazu Kajita, Masaaki Hirayama, Ikuroh Ohsawa, Shigeo Ohta, Kinji Ohno
- Journal
- Neuroscience Letters
- Year
- 2009
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.neulet.2009.02.016
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Parkinson's Disease
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking water infused with molecular hydrogen may slow down the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease in rats.
Key Finding
In rats with Parkinson's-like brain damage, hydrogen-enriched drinking water prevented the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells both when given before and after the damage occurred.
Summary
Researchers gave rats a chemical that damages the brain cells responsible for producing dopamine (a chemical messenger involved in movement control), mimicking Parkinson's disease. They tested whether hydrogen-enriched drinking water could protect these brain cells. Hydrogen water given before or after the brain damage prevented the loss of dopamine-producing cells and reduced movement problems in the rats, suggesting it may slow Parkinson's disease progression.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen water may have protective effects against Parkinson's-related brain cell damage, but this is early-stage animal research with no human trials yet. Much more research, including studies in people, would be needed before any conclusions about hydrogen water's usefulness for Parkinson's disease could be drawn.
Abstract
Molecular hydrogen serves as an antioxidant that reduces hydroxyl radicals, but not the other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. In the past year, molecular hydrogen has been reported to prevent or ameliorate eight diseases in rodents and one in human associated with oxidative stress. In Parkinson's disease, mitochondrial dysfunction and the associated oxidative stress are major causes of dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra. We examined effects of approximately 50%-saturated molecular hydrogen in drinking water before or after the stereotactic surgery on 6-hydroxydopamine-induced nigrostrital degeneration in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Methamphetamine-induced behavioral analysis showed that molecular hydrogen prevented both the development and progression of the nigrostrital degeneration. Tyrosine hydroxylase staining of the substantia nigra and striatum also demonstrated that pre- and post-treatment with hydrogen prevented the dopaminergic cell loss. Our studies suggest that hydrogen water is likely able to retard the development and progression of Parkinson's disease.