Lactulose May Help Treat Carbon Monoxide Poisoning via Gut Hydrogen
- Authors
- Dan-Feng Fan, Hui-Jun Hu, Xue-Jun Sun, Xiang-En Meng, Yu Zhang, Shu-Yi Pan
- Journal
- Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine
- Year
- 2016
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Scientists found that giving people a common sugar called lactulose by mouth might help treat carbon monoxide poisoning by making beneficial gut bacteria produce hydrogen, which acts like a cleanup crew to get rid of harmful molecules that damage the brain.
Key Finding
Researchers hypothesize that oral lactulose could be a novel treatment for acute carbon monoxide poisoning by stimulating intestinal bacteria to produce hydrogen gas, which may reduce oxidative damage to the nervous system.
Summary
This study proposes that lactulose, a type of sugar that cannot be digested by the human body, might help treat carbon monoxide poisoning. The researchers suggest that when lactulose reaches the intestines, certain bacteria there could break it down to produce hydrogen gas, which may protect nerve cells by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals that form during CO poisoning.
Practical Takeaway
This is a theoretical proposal based on existing research about hydrogen's antioxidant properties—actual human testing has not yet been conducted. The study presents an interesting idea but provides no clinical evidence that lactulose would work in real CO poisoning cases. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before this could be considered a viable treatment.
Abstract
It has been known that the pathophysiology of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is related to hypoxia, the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress. Studies have shown that the novel, safe and effective free radical scavenger, hydrogen, has neuroprotective effects in both acute CO poisoning and delayed neuropsychological sequelae in CO poisoning. Orally administered lactulose, which may be used by some intestinal bacteria as a food source to produce endogenous hydrogen, can ameliorate oxidative stress. Based on the available findings, we hypothesize that oral administration of lactulose may be a novel therapy for acute CO poisoning via increasing intestinal hydrogen production.