Hydrogen Therapy Reduces Chronic Itching from Multiple Skin Conditions
- Authors
- Linlin Zhang, Fangshi Zhao, Yize Li, Zhenhua Song, Lingyue Hu, Yuanjie Li, Rui Zhang, Yonghao Yu, Guolin Wang, Chunyan Wang
- Journal
- Redox Biology
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.redox.2024.103472
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Chronic Dermatitis
- Body System
- Integumentary
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas or injecting hydrogen-rich saline can reduce chronic itching by protecting the spine from oxidative damage in mice.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen inhalation and injection reduced chronic itching in mice with dermatitis, diabetes, and cholestatic disease by decreasing spinal cord oxidative stress and restoring antioxidant enzyme activity.
Summary
Researchers tested whether molecular hydrogen (a gas that can be inhaled or injected into the body) could reduce chronic itching in mice with three different conditions: skin inflammation, diabetes, and liver disease. They found that hydrogen therapy reduced itching and decreased harmful molecules called free radicals in the spinal cord, while boosting the body's natural antioxidant defenses (proteins that protect cells from damage). The effect appeared to work through a specific cellular pathway involving proteins called SIRT1 and β-catenin.
Practical Takeaway
This mouse study suggests hydrogen therapy may help manage difficult-to-treat chronic itch by reducing cellular damage, but these results cannot yet be applied to humans. Further research in human subjects would be needed to determine whether hydrogen water or inhalation could provide similar benefits for people with chronic itching conditions.
Abstract
Chronic itch which is primarily associated with dermatologic, systemic, or metabolic disorders is often refractory to most current antipruritic medications, thus highlighting the need for improved therapies. Oxidative damage is a novel determinant of spinal pruriceptive sensitization and synaptic plasticity. The resolution of oxidative insult by molecular hydrogen has been manifested. Herein, we strikingly report that both hydrogen gas (2 %) inhalation and hydrogen-rich saline (5 mL/kg, intraperitoneal) injection prevent and alleviate persistent dermatitis-induced itch, diabetic itch and cholestatic itch. Hydrogen therapy reverses the decrease of spinal SIRT1 expression and antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx and CAT) activity after dermatitis, diabetes and cholestasis. Furthermore, hydrogen reduces spinal ROS generation, oxidation products (MDA, 8-OHdG and 3-NT) accumulation, β-catenin acetylation and dendritic spine density in persistent itch models. Spinal SIRT1 inhibition eliminates antipruritic and antioxidative effects of hydrogen, while SIRT1 agonism attenuates chronic itch phenotype, spinal β-catenin acetylation and mitochondrial damage. β-catenin inhibitors are effective against chronic itch via reducing β-catenin acetylation, blocking ERK phosphorylation and elevating antioxidant enzymes activity. Hydrogen treatment suppressed dermatitis and cholestasis mediated spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in vitro. Additionally, hydrogen impairs cholestasis-induced the enhancement of cerebral functional connectivity between the right primary cingulate cortex and bilateral sensorimotor cortex, as well as bilateral striatum. Taken together, this study uncovers that molecular hydrogen protects against chronic pruritus and spinal pruriceptive sensitization by reducing oxidative damage via up-regulation of SIRT1-dependent β-catenin deacetylation in mice, implying a promising strategy in translational development for itch control.