Title:Neuroprotective and Preventative Effects of Molecular Hydrogen
Volume: 27
Issue: 5
Author(s): Mami Noda*, Jiankang Liu and Jiangang Long
Affiliation:
- Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582,Japan
Keywords:
Hydrogen gas, anti-oxidant, neuroprotection, ghrelin, estrogen, sex-difference.
Abstract: One of the beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen (H2, hydrogen gas) is neuroprotection and prevention
of neurological disorders. It is important and useful if taking H2 every day can prevent or ameliorate the
progression of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease, both lacking
specific therapeutic drugs. There are several mechanisms of how H2 protects neuronal damage. Anti-oxidative,
anti-inflammatory, and the regulation of the endocrine system via stomach-brain connection seem to play an important
role. At the cellular and tissue level, H2 appears to prevent the production of reactive oxygen species
(ROS), and not only hydroxy radical (•OH) but also superoxide. In Parkinson’s disease model mice, chronic intake
of H2 causes the release of ghrelin from the stomach. In Alzheimer’s disease model mice, sex-different neuroprotection
is observed by chronic intake of H2. In female mice, declines of estrogen and estrogen receptor-β
(ERβ) are prevented by H2, upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor, tyrosine kinase
receptor B (TrkB). The question of how drinking H2 upregulates the release of ghrelin or attenuates the decline
of estrogen remains to be investigated and the mechanism of how H2 modulates endocrine systems and the
fundamental question of what or where is the target of H2 needs to be elucidated for a better understanding of
the effects of H2.
