Research

Beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen in clinical environment are observed especially in oxidative stress-mediated diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, brain stem infarction, rheumatoid arthritis, or neurodegenerative diseases. Hydrogen therapy may be an effective and specific innovative treatment for exercise-induced oxidative stress and sports injury, with potential for the improvement of exercise performance. Findings regarding the clinical aspects of molecular hydrogen use, emphasizing its application in the field of sports medicine (Ostojic, 2014). DOI Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1395509

Uncontrolled production of oxygen and nitrogen radicals results in oxidative and nitrosative stresses that impair cellular functions and have been regarded as causative common denominators of many pathological processes. We suggest that the beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen may be through the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway that promotes innate antioxidants and reduction of apoptosis, as well as inflammation (Kura et al., 2019). Link: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjpp-2018-0604

Recently, molecular hydrogen has been investigated in preclinical and clinical studies on various diseases associated with oxidative and inflammatory stress such as radiation-induced heart disease, ischemia-reperfusion injury, myocardial and brain infarction, storage of the heart, heart transplantation, etc. Hydrogen is primarily administered via inhalation, drinking hydrogen-rich water, or injection of hydrogen-rich saline. Here is no reported clinical toxicity; however, some data suggests that H2 has a mild hormetic-like effect, which likely mediate some of its benefits (LeBaron et al., 2019). Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24112076

The injurious effect of excessive ROS can hypothetically be mitigated by exogenous antioxidants, but clinically this intervention is often not favorable. In contrast, molecular hydrogen provides a variety of advantages for mitigating oxidative stress due to its unique physical and chemical properties. H₂ may be superior to conventional antioxidants, since it can selectively reduce •OH radicals while preserving important ROS that are otherwise used for normal cellular signaling. Additionally, H₂ exerts many biological effects, including antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-shock. H₂ accomplishes these effects by indirectly regulating signal transduction and gene expression, each of which involves multiple signaling pathways and crosstalk. H₂ also influences the crosstalk among the regulatory mechanisms of autophagy and apoptosis, which involve MAPKs, p53, Nrf2, NF-ΚB, p38 MAPK, mTOR, etc. The pleiotropic effects of molecular hydrogen on various proteins, molecules and signaling pathways can at least partly explain its almost universal pluripotent therapeutic potential (Slezak et al., 2021). Link: https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612826666200821114016

Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been accepted to be an inert and nonfunctional molecule in our body. We have turned this concept by demonstrating that H2 reacts with strong oxidants such as hydroxyl radical in cells, and proposed its potential for preventive and therapeutic applications. H2 has a number of advantages exhibiting extensive effects: H2 rapidly diffuses into tissues and cells, and it is mild enough neither to disturb metabolic redox reactions nor to affect signaling reactive oxygen species; therefore, there should be no or little adverse effects of H2. There are several methods to ingest or consume H2; inhaling H2 gas, drinking H2-dissolved water (H2-water), injecting H2-dissolved saline (H2-saline), taking an H2 bath, or dropping H2-saline into the eyes. The numerous publications on its biological and medical benefits revealed that H2 reduces oxidative stress not only by direct reactions with strong oxidants, but also indirectly by regulating various gene expressions. Moreover, by regulating the gene expressions, H2 functions as an anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic, and stimulates energy metabolism. In addition to growing evidence obtained by model animal experiments, extensive clinical examinations were performed or are under investigation. Since most drugs specifically act to their targets, H2 seems to differ from conventional pharmaceutical drugs. Owing to its great efficacy and lack of adverse effects, H2 has promising potential for clinical use against many diseases (Ohta, 2014). Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2014.04.006