MOLECULAR HYDROGEN : A NEW HOPE WITH MANY SCOPES IN NEW AGE CANCER THERAPY IN HUMAN BEINGS

“Hydrogen can have a tremendous impact as a new and innovative therapeutic tool, especially in those instances, where modern medicine cannot help with serious health problems.”

                                                                                                                                          -Huang et al., 2010

Introduction to Molecular Hydrogen Therapy

Hydrogen, a fuel for rockets and future automobiles cum energy needs can bring about many health benefits in human life. It is a prime member in a Mosley’s periodic table of elements. H2 in near future to witness its place in healthcare facilities for the variety of wellness and therapeutic benefits.

Molecular hydrogen is a small, colourless, tasteless, and odourless non-toxic gas with poor water solubility. It is part of deep sea diver’s gas cylinders to help them breathe and avoid nitrogen sickness and decompression. Firstly, Dole et al explored the therapeutic potential of hydrogen gas in cancer. They reported that 2 weeks of hyperbaric hydrogen treatment caused significant repression of skin tumours in mice models. However, concerns regarding storage, transportation, and administration of hyperbaric hydrogen limited the use of this therapy. Nonetheless, a study conducted by Ohsawa et al in 2007 advocated that inhalation of small amounts of hydrogen gas could exert a neuroprotective effect by reducing oxygen radicals levels in ischemia-reperfusion or inflammation animal models. Since then, the promising effects of molecular hydrogen therapy have grasped increasing attention. Several studies have examined the positive effects of hydrogen therapy against inflammation, injury, metabolic syndromes, and cancer.

How does molecular hydrogen work for cancer treatment?

Our bodies produce free radicals naturally, during exercise and from the foods we eat which are balanced by antioxidants, which the body produces and which we consume in the foods we eat. Cancer and cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, however, cause an imbalance, and free radicals proliferate. This causes a condition known as oxidative stress, which causes inflammation and peroxidation. Both can propagate cancers to metastasize, stimulate tumour growth, or worsen cancer treatment side effects. By increasing hydrogen in the body – a powerful antioxidant – it‟s believed that hydrogen fights against and may even reverse oxidative stress. Therefore, Molecular Hydrogen Therapy as a therapy for cancer helps to prevent the creation of excess free radicals and mitochondrial dysfunction, and as a result, may reduce tumour growth, prevent tumours from forming, or reduce the physical side effects of cancer treatments.

Molecular Hydrogen therapy have shown its effect on the following types of cancers:-

Conclusion

In conclusion, H2 has shown preventive and therapeutic effects. Pre-treatment with H2 is more effective than post-treatment . H2 reduces oxidative stress, exerts anti-inflammatory effects, and acts as a modulator of apoptosis. Modulation of similar transduction and alterations in gene expression is brought by biological effect of H2 and its direct effect on OH scavenging. Many of the cellular mechanisms in H2 therapy remain unclear, certainly because this gas reacts with putative molecules. The relationship between mitochondrial energy metabolism and the distribution of H2 is still unclear, but near future studies will witness its mechanisms. The greatest advantages of using H2 are its ability to penetrate biological membranes and the minor adverse effects associated with its use. In these conditions, H2, and different types of H2 donors may represent novel therapeutic strategies in cancer treatment.

For detailed reading

Review Paper by DR.SHIKKU POULOSE MD

MOLECULAR HYDROGEN : A NEW HOPE WITH MANY SCOPES IN NEW AGE CANCER THERAPY IN HUMAN BEINGS

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19EeQjMK6b6agtyd2zqzWMtS61Gl2mTVKNmuQIiRLI88/edit?usp=sharing