Hydrogen Water Protects Kidneys from Chemo Drug Side Effects in Mice
- Authors
- Tse-Chou Cheng, Yu-Wen Hsu, Fung-Jou Lu, Ya-Yu Chen, Nu-Man Tsai, Wen-Kang Chen, Chia-Fang Tsai
- Journal
- Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jcma.2017.08.014
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Taiwan
- Health Condition
- Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity
- Body System
- Renal
TL;DR
Drinking electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) helps protect mice from kidney damage caused by the cancer drug cisplatin.
Key Finding
Electrolyzed reduced water reduced kidney damage from cisplatin in mice by boosting the activity of protective antioxidant enzymes and decreasing markers of cellular damage.
Summary
This study tested whether electrolyzed reduced water (water treated with electricity to add hydrogen) could protect mouse kidneys from damage caused by cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. Researchers gave some mice the special water daily while others received regular water, then exposed all mice to cisplatin. The mice that drank electrolyzed reduced water showed better kidney function, less kidney damage under a microscope, and higher levels of protective antioxidant enzymes (molecules that fight cellular damage) compared to mice that didn't receive it.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting electrolyzed reduced water may help protect kidneys from chemotherapy damage, but results from mouse studies do not automatically apply to humans. Anyone undergoing chemotherapy should discuss kidney protection strategies with their oncologist rather than self-treating with hydrogen water.
Abstract
Background: Cisplatin is a potent chemotherapeutic drug for cancer therapy, but it has serious side effects in clinical treatment, particularly nephrotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) on renal injury caused by cisplatin. Methods: Animals were divided into four groups as follows: normal control group, cisplatin control group, ERW control group and ERW + cisplatin group. Each group comprised 10 animals, which were orally treated with normal saline or ERW daily companion by administration of one dose of cisplatin for 28 days. Animals in the cisplatin group received an intraperitoneal single-dose injection of cisplatin (20 mg/kg body weight) as a single i.p. dose on the 25th day of the experiment. We determined the hydration state in urine and the level of serum markers of kidney function, the levels of glutathione (GSH) and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) levels and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT) and superoxidase dismutase (SOD) in kidney and histopathological changes. Results: After administration of ERW, the reduced urinary osmolality was increased and elevated Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ levels in urine were significantly decreased in cisplatin-induced renal injury mice. Besides, the results demonstrated that significantly decreased elevated serum levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and the levels of TBARS in the kidneys that were induced by cisplatin. Moreover, ERW treatment was also found to markedly increase (p < 0.05) the activities of GPx, GR, CAT and SOD, and to increase GSH content in the kidneys. Histopathology showed that ERW protects against cisplatin-induced renal injury to both the proximal and distal tubules. Conclusion: ERW exhibits potent nephroprotective effects on cisplatin-induced kidney damage in mice, likely due to both the increase in antioxidant-defense system activity and the inhibition of lipid peroxidation.