Attenuation of Cardiac Ischaemia-reperfusion Injury by Treatment with Hydrogen-rich Water

Hydrogen helps to ameliorate Staphylococcus aureus-induced mastitis in mice

Many studies have shown that hydrogen has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Because of its ability to quickly pass through cell membranes, hydrogen has become a hot spot in the research of inflammatory diseases. Vitamin E glycerin (VEG) and hydrogen-rich Vitamin E glycerin (HR-VEG) were prepared, aiming to explore their anti-inflammatory activities in mice mastitis induced by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). In the early part of this study, the prepared vitamin E medium (VEM) and hydrogen-rich vitamin E medium (HR-VEM) were added to mammary epithelial cells infected with S. aureus. HR-VEM was found to be more effective in reducing the phosphorylation of p65 and p38 and in reducing the production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) than VEM. Whereafter, the mice model of mastitis was established by injecting S. aureus from the mammary duct. Then VEG and HR-VEG were applied to the mammary gland for seven consecutive days. After that, the clinical symptoms, histopathology, bacterial load, inflammatory factors, as well as the related pathway were analyzed. The results showed that HR-VEG can more significantly alleviate the damage of mammary tissue than VEG, and reduce the production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-1β and interleukin 6 (IL-6). In addition, HR-VEG inhibited the TLR2 and Nod2 signaling pathways and reduced the phosphorylation level of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in S. aureus-induced murine mastitis. This study indicates that hydrogen helps to ameliorate S. aureus-induced mastitis in mice through attenuating TLR2 and Nod2 mediated NF-κB and MAPK activation.

Protective Mechanism and Clinical Application of Hydrogen in Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury

Cardiovascular disease accounts for one-third of all deaths, with ischemic heart disease as the main cause of death. Under pathological conditions, ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) often occurs in tissues. Ischemic injury is mainly caused by anaerobic cell death and reperfusion which results in a wide range of inflammatory responses. These responses are able to increase tissue damage and even damage to the whole body. IRI can also aggravate the original cardiovascular disease during the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand the mechanism of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) for clinical treatment and application. At the same time, it is necessary to find a safe, reliable and feasible method for treating MIRI to reduce the incidence of complications and mortality as well as improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients. As a selective antioxidant, hydrogen can neutralize excessive free radicals, has certain anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects and it has gradually become a focus and hotspot of preclinical and clinical research. Hydrogen has been shown to have a certain therapeutic effect on MIRI, which can provide a new therapeutic direction for the clinical treatment of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this review, the protective mechanism and clinical application of hydrogen in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury is discussed.

Hydrogen: A Novel Option in Human Disease Treatment

H₂ has shown anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ability in many clinical trials, and its application is recommended in the latest Chinese novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) treatment guidelines. Clinical experiments have revealed the surprising finding that H₂ gas may protect the lungs and extrapulmonary organs from pathological stimuli in NCP patients. The potential mechanisms underlying the action of H₂ gas are not clear. H₂ gas may regulate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, mitochondrial energy metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum stress, the immune system, and cell death (apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and circadian clock, among others) and has therapeutic potential for many systemic diseases. This paper reviews the basic research and the latest clinical applications of H₂ gas in multiorgan system diseases to establish strategies for the clinical treatment for various diseases.

Metabolomics Analysis of the Effect of Hydrogen-Rich Water on Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats

To investigate the effect of hydrogen-rich water on myocardial tissue metabolism in a myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) rat model. Twelve rats were randomly divided into a hydrogen-rich water group and a control group of size 6 each. After the heart was removed, it was fixed in the Langendorff device, and the heart was perfused with 37 °C perfusion solution pre-balanced with oxygen. The control group was perfused with Kreb's-Ringers (K-R) solution, and the hydrogen-rich water group was perfused with K-R solution + hydrogen-rich water. Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS) analysis platform was used for metabolomics research. Principle component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), Variable importance in projection (VIP) value of OPLS-DA model (threshold value ≥1) were employed with independent sample T Test (p < 0.05) to find differentially expressed metabolites, and screen for differential metabolic pathways. VIP (OPLS-DA) analysis was performed with T test, and the metabolites of the control group and the hydrogen-rich water group were significantly different, and the glycerophospholipid metabolism was screened. Seven myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI)-related signaling pathways were identified, including glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored biosynthesis, and purine metabolism, as well as 10 biomarkers such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. Hydrogen-rich water regulates the metabolic imbalance that could change MIRI myocardial tissue metabolism, and alleviate ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolated hearts of rats through multiple signaling pathways.

Effects of Hydrogen-rich Water on the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway in Rats with Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury

BACKGROUND

The effects of hydrogen-rich water on PI3K/AKT-mediated apoptosis were studied in rats subjected to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). Methdos: Sixty rats were divided randomly into a hydrogen-rich water group and a control group. The hearts were removed and fixed in a Langendorff device. Hearts from the control group were perfused with K-R solution, and hearts from the hydrogen-rich water group was perfused with K-R solution + hydrogen-rich water. The two treatment groups were then divided randomly into pre-ischemic period, ischemic period and reperfusion period groups(10 rats per group), which were subjected to reverse perfusion for 10 min, normal treatment for 20 min, and reperfusion for 20 min, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K, AKT, p-AKT, FoxO1, Bim and Caspase-3 in each group were detected by RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blotting. Caspase-3 activity was detected by spectrophotometry.

RESULTS

Among the hydrogen-rich water group, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was significantly activated, and FoxO1, Bim, and Caspase-3 mRNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in ischemia-reperfusion subgroup compared with the preischemic and ischemic subgroups. In the ischemia-reperfusion hydrogen-rich water group, PI3K, AKT and p-AKT mRNA and protein expression levels were increased while the FoxO1, Bim and Caspase-3 expression levels were significantly decreased compared with those in the corresponding control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Hydrogen-rich water can activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, alleviate ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolated rat hearts, and inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Protein chip and bioinformatic analyses of differentially expressed proteins involved in the effect of hydrogen-rich water on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury

Background: The differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in the effect of hydrogen-rich water on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) and their biological processes and signaling pathway were analyzed. Methods: 20 Wistar rats were randomly and equally divided into a control and a hydrogen-rich group. Hearts were removed and fixed in a Langendorff device. The control group was perfused with K-R solution, and the hydrogen-rich water group was perfused with K-R solution + hydrogen-rich water. Protein was extracted from the ventricular tissues, and GSR-CAA-67 was used to identify the DEPs between two groups. DEPs were analyzed through bioinformatic methods. Results: Compared with the control group, in the treatment group, the expression of 25 proteins was obviously decreased (P<0.05). For the DEPs, 359 biological processes, including the regulation of signaling pathways, immune reaction and formation of cardiovascular endothelial cells, were selected by GO enrichment analysis. Five signaling pathways were selected by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Conclusions: 25 proteins that are involved in hydrogen-water reducing MIRI were selected by high-throughput GSR-CAA-67. The biological processes and metabolic pathways involved in the DEPs were summarized, providing theoretical evidence for the clinical application of hydrogen-rich water.