Hydrogen Water Prevents Kidney Transplant Rejection in Rats
- Authors
- Jon S. Cardinal, Jianghua Zhan, Yinna Wang, Ryujiro Sugimoto, Allan Tsung, Kenneth R. McCurry, Timothy R. Billiar, Atsunori Nakao
- Journal
- Kidney International
- Year
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.1038/ki.2009.421
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- United States
- Health Condition
- Chronic Allograft Nephropathy
- Body System
- Renal
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-enriched water helped prevent kidney transplant complications and improved survival in rats.
Key Finding
In transplanted rats, hydrogen water prevented chronic kidney damage and improved graft survival compared to regular water, reducing harmful oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling in the transplanted organ.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen water could help prevent kidney damage in transplanted kidneys using rats. Researchers gave one group of transplant recipients regular water and another group hydrogen water (water with dissolved hydrogen gas) for 150 days. The rats drinking hydrogen water had better kidney function, less protein in their urine, and lived longer than those drinking regular water. The hydrogen water appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species and calming down inflammatory responses in the transplanted kidneys.
Practical Takeaway
While this rat study suggests hydrogen water may have protective effects in kidney transplantation, it is an animal study only and does not directly demonstrate benefits in humans. Anyone with a kidney transplant should consult their transplant team before considering hydrogen water, as clinical trials in transplant patients would be needed to establish safety and effectiveness.
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to the development of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy seen in chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). As molecular hydrogen gas can act as a scavenger of ROS, we tested the effect of treatment with hydrogen water (HW) in a model of kidney transplantation, in which allografts from Lewis rats were orthotopically transplanted into Brown Norway recipients that had undergone bilateral nephrectomy. Molecular hydrogen was dissolved in water and recipients were given HW from day 0 until day 150. Rats that were treated with regular water (RW) gradually developed proteinuria and their creatinine clearance declined, ultimately leading to graft failure secondary to CAN. In contrast, treatment with HW improved allograft function, slowed the progression of CAN, reduced oxidant injury and inflammatory mediator production, and improved overall survival. Inflammatory signaling pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinases, were less activated in renal allografts from HW-treated rats as compared with RW-treated rats. Hence, oral HW is an effective antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent that prevented CAN, improved survival of rat renal allografts, and may be of therapeutic value in the setting of transplantation.