New Hydrogen Device Improves Diabetes and Insulin Resistance in Mice
- Authors
- Boyan Liu, Peixun Lv, Xiaoyi Zhang, Chao Xia, xinru Liu, Jingyu Liu, Junli Xue, Qianjun He, Shucun Qin
- Journal
- Bioactive Materials
- Year
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.11.003
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Body System
- Endocrine
TL;DR
Researchers developed a new method to deliver hydrogen gas to treat inflammation and insulin resistance in diabetic mice by using a special zinc-iron structure that releases hydrogen in the stomach over time.
Key Finding
A zinc-iron micro-device that releases hydrogen gas in the stomach accumulated hydrogen in insulin-resistance-related tissues at higher levels and for longer periods than hydrogen-rich water, significantly improving insulin resistance and reducing inflammation in obese diabetic mice.
Summary
Researchers developed a tiny device made of zinc and iron that releases hydrogen gas in the stomach when swallowed. In obese mice with type 2 diabetes, this device released hydrogen for about 3 hours—matching how long food stays in the stomach—allowing the hydrogen to reach liver, fat, and muscle tissues at higher levels than drinking hydrogen-rich water. The treatment reduced inflammation and improved insulin resistance (the body's difficulty using insulin) without causing visible harm.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage research in mice suggests that controlled hydrogen delivery to the stomach may be more effective than current hydrogen water methods, but human studies are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about safety or effectiveness in people with type 2 diabetes. The device itself has not been tested in humans.
Abstract
Chronic systemic inflammation in obesity-associated type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a key inducing factor of insulin resistance (IR). Hydrogen molecule (H2) has been proved to be a safe and effective anti-inflammatory agent, but conventional H2 administration methods cannot provide a high dosage and a long duration of H2 treatment in IR-related tissues and thus lead to limited therapeutic efficacies. We here propose a new strategy of controlled H2 release to match the time window of gastric emptying for maximizing the bioavailability and therapeutic outcome of H2. This work enhances the hydrolysis rate of Zn by constructing a Zn-Fe primary-battery micro-/nano-structure, and the H2-releasing rate is adjusted by tuning the ratio of Zn to Fe. The Zn-Fe micro-/nano-structure is orally administrated once daily to alleviate obesity-associated T2D in a leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mouse model. The H2 generation time of the Zn-Fe primary-battery micro-/nano-structure with the Fe/Zn ratio of 1:100 in gastric acid is about 3 h, just matching with the time window of gastric emptying in mice. In vivo monitoring results show that H2 generated by Zn-Fe micro-/nano-structure in stomach can effectively accumulate in major IR-sited tissues including liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle at a high dose for a relatively long time compared to H2-rich water drinking. Oral administration of Zn-Fe micro-/nano-structure at 200 mg/kg body weight has realized an efficient IR improvement and remarkably ameliorated systemic inflammation in ob/ob mice. In addition, a high-dose administration of Zn-Fe shows no visible toxicity in mice. This work provides a new strategy to maximize the outcome of hydrogen therapy.