Hydrogen Water Protects Fatty Liver from Surgery Damage in Mice
- Authors
- Shaowei Li, Masayuki Fujino, Naotsugu Ichimaru, Ryosuke Kurokawa, Shinichi Hirano, Lisha Mou, Shiro Takahara, Terumi Takahara, Xiao-Kang Li
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-018-32411-4
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Fatty Liver Disease
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Hydrogen-infused saline can reduce liver damage caused by blood flow disruptions in mice with fatty liver disease.
Key Finding
Hydrogen saline treatment significantly reduced liver damage markers and cell death in fatty livers undergoing ischemia-reperfusion injury, while increasing protective proteins HO-1 and Sirt1.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen gas dissolved in saline could protect fatty livers from damage during ischemia-reperfusion injury—a type of damage that occurs when blood flow to the liver is cut off and then restored, common during liver transplantation. Using mice with fatty livers, researchers gave hydrogen-containing saline during the injury process and found that hydrogen treatment reduced liver cell death, decreased inflammation, and activated protective proteins in the liver.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage research in mice only, not humans. While the results suggest hydrogen may have potential to protect liver tissue during transplantation procedures, much more research—including human studies—would be needed before any clinical application. The findings cannot be applied to drinking hydrogen water or other consumer uses at this time.
Abstract (excerpt)
Fatty liver has lower tolerance against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in liver operations, including liver transplantation. Seeking to ameliorate liver injury following I/R in fatty liver, we examined the protective effect of hydrogen (H2) saline on I/R liver injury in a methionine…