Hydrogen Water Boosts Radiation Protection When Combined with Drug
- Authors
- X. Qin, , J. Yin, , J. Li, , Q. An, , J. Wen, , Q. Niu,
- Journal
- Internatuinal Journal of Radiation Research
- Year
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.18869/acadpub.ijrr.14.2.113
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Radiation Exposure
- Body System
- Hematopoietic System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water and receiving an injection of the drug amifostine before exposure to radiation improves survival and recovery in mice better than either treatment alone.
Key Finding
Mice treated with both hydrogen-rich water and amifostine before radiation exposure had higher 30-day survival rates and better recovery of their blood-forming systems compared to either treatment alone.
Summary
Researchers gave mice hydrogen-rich water and/or amifostine (a drug that protects against radiation damage) before exposing them to high-dose radiation. Mice that received both treatments together survived better, maintained body weight better, and recovered faster than mice given either treatment alone or no treatment. The combination appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called hydroxyl radicals and helping the blood-forming system recover from radiation damage.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen-rich water may work together with existing radiation-protective drugs to reduce radiation damage. However, this was only tested in mice, not humans, so it's unclear whether the same benefit would occur in people undergoing radiotherapy. Anyone considering hydrogen water as a complement to cancer treatment should discuss it with their oncologist first.
Abstract
Background: Hydrogen has been demonstrated can selectively reduce the hydroxyl, which is the main cause of ionizing radiation-induced damage. Amifostine (AM) is the only radioprotective drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in radiotherapy. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the combined radio-protective effect of hydrogen rich water (HRW) and AM. Materials and Methods: Male ICR mice were treated intragastrically with HRW or/and intraperitoneally with AM 30 minutes prior to 9.0 Gy whole body irradiation from a⁶⁰Co source (dose rate 0.96Gy/min). Then the survival rate for 30 days, the hematological parameters, the Clinical chemistry parameters and the bone marrow nucleated cells were examined. Results: We found that the mice treated with HRW and AM before irradiaion could increase the 30-day survival rate and improve the body weight better than the HRW or AM treatment alone group and irradiaion alone group. Hematological test and Clinical chemistry assays also showed the same results that HRW combined AM could beter improve the recovery of hemopoietic system and alleviate the detrimental effects of radiation. Conclusion: The results indicate that the combined application of HRW and AM may be a beter method for radiaion therapy. © 2016, Novim Medical Radiation Institute. All rights reserved.