Drinking and Breathing Hydrogen Together Works Better Than Either Alone
- Authors
- Sayaka Sobue, Kazuaki Yamai, Mikako Ito, Kinji Ohno, Masafumi Ito, Takashi Iwamoto, Shanlou Qiao, Tetsuo Ohkuwa, Masatoshi Ichihara
- Journal
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
- Year
- 2015
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11010-015-2353-y
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Inflammatory Disorders
- Body System
- Hepatic
TL;DR
Hydrogen gas (H2) can affect the body's genes and cell signaling, potentially helping with inflammation and oxidative stress, and it seems to work best when both inhaled and drunk as hydrogen-rich water.
Key Finding
Molecular hydrogen suppressed inflammatory signaling pathways in rodent tissues, with combined oral and inhalational administration producing stronger effects than either delivery method alone.
Summary
Researchers gave mice molecular hydrogen (H2) through two methods: drinking H2-rich water and breathing H2-containing air. They measured how much H2 reached different parts of the body and examined how it affected genes and cell signaling pathways (the chemical communication systems inside cells). The study found that H2 reduced activity in inflammatory pathways, particularly one called NF-κB, and that using both methods together produced stronger effects than either method alone.
Practical Takeaway
This animal study suggests that H2 may work against inflammation through multiple biological pathways, and that combining different delivery methods might be more effective than one alone. However, this is early-stage research in mice—human studies would be needed to determine if these findings apply to people and whether the benefits are clinically meaningful.
Abstract
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is an agent with potential applications in oxidative stress-related and/or inflammatory disorders. H2 is usually administered by inhaling H2-containing air (HCA) or by oral intake of H2-rich water (HRW). Despite mounting evidence, the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects and the optimal method of H2 administration remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether H2 affects signaling pathways and gene expression in a dosage- or dose regimen-dependent manner. We first examined the H2 concentrations in blood and organs after its administration and found that oral intake of HRW rapidly but transiently increased H2 concentrations in the liver and atrial blood, while H2 concentrations in arterial blood and the kidney were one-tenth of those in the liver and atrial blood. In contrast, inhalation of HCA increased H2 equally in both atrial and arterial blood. We next examined whether H2 alters gene expression in normal mouse livers using DNA microarray analysis after administration of HCA and HRW. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that H2 suppressed the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)-regulated genes. Western blot analysis showed that H2 attenuated ERK, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB signaling in mouse livers. Finally, we evaluated whether the changes in gene expression were influenced by the route of H2 administration and found that the combination of both HRW and HCA had the most potent effects on signaling pathways and gene expression in systemic organs, suggesting that H2 may act not only through a dose-dependent mechanism but also through a complex molecular network.