Abstract
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a colorless and odorless gas. Studies have shown that H2 inhalation has the therapeutic effects in many animal studies and clinical trials, and its application is recommended in the novel coronavirus pneumonia treatment guidelines in China recently. H2 has a relatively small molecular mass, which helps it quickly spread and penetrate cell membranes to exert a wide range of biological effects. It may play a role in the treatment and prevention of a variety of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as acute pancreatitis, sepsis, respiratory disease, ischemia reperfusion injury diseases, autoimmunity diseases, etc.. H2 is primarily administered via inhalation, drinking H2-rich water, or injection of H2 saline. It may participate in the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity (mitochondrial energy metabolism), immune system regulation, and cell death (apoptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis) through annihilating excess reactive oxygen species production and modulating nuclear transcription factor. However, the underlying mechanism of H2 has not yet been fully revealed. Owing to its safety and potential efficacy, H2 has a promising potential for clinical use against many diseases. This review will demonstrate the role of H2 in antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects and its underlying mechanism, particularly in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), providing strategies for the medical application of H2 for various diseases.
Highlights
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is the lightest and most abundant element in the earth’s atmosphere
Molecular hydrogen seems to exhibit a variety of phenotypes toward improving many pathogenic states by regulating various gene expression
Many studies have shown that H2 intervention regulates inflammatory cytokines, scavenges free radicals, and alleviates cell apoptosis injury in vivo or in vitro, indicating a therapeutic effect of H2 on various acute or chronic inflammatory diseases
Summary
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is the lightest and most abundant element in the earth’s atmosphere. It was considered as a new type of natural antioxidant with low capacity to react with most biomolecules, which has potential therapeutic benefits. To confront coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), starting from the Chinese Clinical Guidance (7th edition) for COVID-19 Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment issued by China National Health Commission, the inhalation of O2 mixed with H2 gas (33.3% O2 and 66.6% H2) has been recommended due to the significant role of H2 in ameliorating lung function decline, emphysema, and inflammation in acute or chronic pulmonary disease (Guan et al, 2020a). This review will discusses the new application H2 and for COVID-19, apart from the scavenger properties of H2 against excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and abnormal inflammation
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