Hydrogen Gas Protects Lungs from Injury in Lab Study
Protection by Inhaled Hydrogen Therapy in a Rat Model of Acute Lung Injury Can be Tracked in vivo Using Molecular Imaging
Research hubs: Respiratory System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Said H. Audi, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, Xiao Zhang, Amadou K.S. Camara, Ming Zhao, Meetha M. Medhora, Benjamin Rizzo, Anne V. Clough
- Journal
- Shock
- Year
- 2017
- PMID
- 28915216
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 98% O2 + 2% H2 for up to 60 hours
- H₂ concentration
- 2% H2 gas
- Duration
- 3 days
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 27 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas reduces lung damage and inflammation in rats with a type of lung injury caused by too much oxygen.
Key Finding
Rats exposed to high oxygen levels while also breathing hydrogen gas showed 50-55% reductions in markers of lung damage and cell death compared to rats exposed to high oxygen alone.
Summary
This study tested whether inhaled hydrogen gas could protect rats from acute lung injury caused by exposure to very high oxygen levels. Researchers used special imaging scans to track damage in the lungs and found that rats breathing hydrogen gas along with the high oxygen had significantly less lung damage, fluid buildup, and harmful chemical markers compared to rats breathing only high oxygen.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen gas may help protect lungs from severe oxygen-related injury, but this is early-stage animal research. Much more work—including human studies—would be needed before any conclusions about hydrogen water or inhalation therapy for lung health in people could be drawn.
Abstract (excerpt)
Inhaled hydrogen gas (H2) provides protection in rat models of human acute lung injury (ALI). We previously reported that biomarker imaging can detect oxidative stress and endothelial cell death in vivo in a rat model of ALI. Our objective was to evaluate the ability…