Hydrogen Water Prevents Kidney Damage from Muscle Breakdown in Rats
- Authors
- Hongxia Gu, Min Yang, Xiaomin Zhao, Bing Zhao, Xuejun Sun, Xin Gao
- Journal
- Journal of Surgical Research
- Year
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jss.2013.12.007
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Body System
- Renal
TL;DR
A special saline solution rich in hydrogen can protect rat kidneys from damage caused by a muscle injury-related condition.
Key Finding
Pretreatment with hydrogen-rich saline significantly reduced kidney damage, muscle breakdown markers, and signs of oxidative stress and inflammation in rats with glycerol-induced rhabdomyolysis, with higher doses providing greater protection.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich saline (a salt solution containing dissolved hydrogen) could protect rats from kidney damage caused by a chemical called glycerol. They gave some rats hydrogen-rich saline for a week before exposing them to glycerol, while others received only glycerol. The rats that received hydrogen-rich saline beforehand had significantly less kidney damage, lower markers of muscle breakdown, and reduced signs of oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) and inflammation compared to rats that only received glycerol.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen-rich saline may help prevent kidney damage from rhabdomyolysis by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. However, this is early-stage animal research only—it does not yet demonstrate safety or effectiveness in humans, and much more research would be needed before any clinical application.
Abstract
Background: Rhabdomyolysis is a leading cause of acute kidney injury. The pathophysiological process involves oxidative stress and inflammation. Hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. This study explored the protective effect of pretreatment with HRS on the development of glycerol-induced rhabdomyolysis acute kidney injury. Materials and methods: Forty-eight rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. Group 1 served as the control, group 2 was given 50% glycerol (10 mL/kg, intramuscular), group 3 was given glycerol after 7 d pretreatment with high dose HRS (10 mL/kg/d, intraperitoneal), and group 4 was given glycerol after 7 d pretreatment with low dose HRS (5 mL/kg/d, intraperitoneal). Renal health was monitored by serum creatinine (Cr), urea, and histologic analysis; rhabdomyolysis was monitored by creatine kinase (CK) levels; and oxidative stress was monitored by kidney tissue reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) levels. Inflammation was monitored by interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) evaluation. Results: Glycerol administration resulted in an increase in the mean histologic damage score, serum Cr, urea and CK, kidney tissue ROS, malondialdehyde, 8-OH-dG, GSH-PX, IL-6, and TNF-α, and a decrease in kidney tissue superoxide dismutase activity. All these factors were significantly improved by both doses of HRS, but the mean histologic damage score, urea, Cr, CK, ROS, 8-OH-dG, GSH-PX, IL-6, and TNF-α for the high dose HRS treatment group were even lower. Conclusions: Pretreatment by HRS ameliorated renal dysfunction in glycerol-induced rhabdomyolysis by inhibiting oxidative stress and the inflammatory response.