Hydrogen Gas Protects Male Fertility from Electromagnetic Damage
- Authors
- Long Ma, Shijun Bao, Xiwen Yang, Hanyue Liu, Yanlan Xiao, Xiaoting Lin, Xinyue Cui, Qingwei Zhao, Jia-Feng Wang, Hongli Yan, Liu Zhiyong, Youxiang Guo, Jiaming Guo
- Journal
- Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1080/15368378.2025.2513901
- Study Type
- Cell Culture
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Male Infertility
- Body System
- Reproductive System
TL;DR
Molecular hydrogen can protect male reproductive cells from damage caused by nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP).
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen gas protected male reproductive cells from nuclear electromagnetic pulse damage by reducing harmful reactive oxygen species and restoring mitochondrial function, preventing cell death.
Summary
Researchers exposed two types of male reproductive cells to nuclear electromagnetic pulses (a type of radiation) and found that the exposure damaged the cells and triggered cell death. When they treated the cells with molecular hydrogen gas, the hydrogen protected the cells by reducing harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species and restoring damaged mitochondria (the cell's energy centers), which prevented cell death.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early laboratory study using cell cultures only, not human subjects or animals, so its relevance to human health is unclear. While the results suggest hydrogen may have protective effects against electromagnetic radiation damage at the cellular level, much more research would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about hydrogen water or hydrogen gas as a protective measure for human reproductive health.
Abstract
Nuclear electromagnetic pulse (NEMP) as a public hygiene issue has aroused increasing attention. Recent research has demonstrated that NEMP can disrupt the male reproductive system. Molecular hydrogen, a selective hydroxyl radical scavenger, has been shown to have the protective effects against many diseases closely associated with oxidative damage. We sought to characterize the beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen on the male reproductive cells. GC-1 spermatogonial cells and TM-3 Leydig cells, two well-established male reproductive cell lines, were exposed to NEMP. Finally, we employed transcriptomic sequencing to explore the transcriptional changes in male reproductive cells induced by NEMP exposure. For the intervention, cells were incubated in hydrogen gas (H2 75%, O2 20%, and CO2 5%) for 1 h. NEMP exposure induced damage to both GC-1 and TM-3 cells, resulting in decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis rates. However, intervention with molecular hydrogen significantly mitigated this damage. Specifically, molecular hydrogen reduced the production of ROS and restored mitochondrial function, thereby alleviating oxidative stress and apoptosis. Transcriptomic sequencing analysis showed that NEMP affected the molecular function term antioxidant activity, particularly Gstp2, a gene predicted to be located in the mitochondria to promote glutathione transferase activity. Hence, molecular hydrogen is a promising protective agent against NEMP in the mechanism that other antioxidants cannot be available.