Hydrogen Water During Pregnancy May Help Babies with Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Authors
- Mayo Miura, Kenji Imai, Hiroyuki Tsuda, Rika Miki, Sho Tano, Yumiko Ito, Shima Hirako-Takamura, Yoshinori Moriyama, Takafumi Ushida, Yukako Iitani, Tomoko Nakano-Kobayashi, Shinya Toyokuni, Hiroaki Kajiyama, Tomomi Kotani
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijms22179500
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water during pregnancy improved lung development and function in rat pups with a lung condition similar to a human birth defect.
Key Finding
Prenatal hydrogen-rich water administration improved respiratory function and reduced oxidative stress in rat fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, with better blood gas measurements and more normal lung development compared to untreated animals.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen-rich water could help treat congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a birth defect where part of the diaphragm—the muscle that helps you breathe—doesn't form properly. Researchers gave pregnant rats hydrogen-rich water and then examined their offspring with CDH. The treated group showed better blood oxygen levels, improved lung development, and less cellular damage from oxidative stress (harmful chemical reactions in cells) compared to untreated CDH rats.
Practical Takeaway
While these results are promising, this is an animal study in rats only—not humans. The authors suggest hydrogen therapy might one day help pregnant women carrying fetuses with diagnosed CDH, but human clinical trials would be needed to determine if it is safe and effective in pregnancy. This remains early-stage research.
Abstract
Oxidative stress plays a pathological role in pulmonary hypoplasia and pulmonary hypertension in congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This study investigated the effect of molecular hydrogen (H2), an antioxidant, on CDH pathology induced by nitrofen. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: control, CDH, and CDH + hydrogen-rich water (HW). Pregnant dams of CDH + HW pups were orally administered HW from embryonic day 10 until parturition. Gasometric evaluation and histological, immunohistochemical, and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses were performed. Gasometric results (pH, pO2, and pCO2 levels) were better in the CDH + HW group than in the CDH group. The CDH + HW group showed amelioration of alveolarization and pulmonary artery remodeling compared with the CDH group. Oxidative stress (8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine-positive-cell score) in the pulmonary arteries and mRNA levels of protein-containing pulmonary surfactant that protects against pulmonary collapse (surfactant protein A) were significantly attenuated in the CDH + HW group compared with the CDH group. Overall, prenatal H2 administration improved respiratory function by attenuating lung morphology and pulmonary artery thickening in CDH rat models. Thus, H2 administration in pregnant women with diagnosed fetal CDH might be a novel antenatal intervention strategy to reduce newborn mortality due to CDH.