29/01/2026
hydrogen inhalation might suppresses the immune function of middle-aged participants
a self-controlled study
Chen, Ji-Bing1; Kong, Xiao-Feng2; Mu, Feng MD1,*
Author Information
Medical Gas Research 11(1):p 12-17, JanβMar 2021. | DOI: 10.4103/2045-9912.310054
Hydrogen inhalation therapy has been proven to be safe and effective in disease treatment in multiple clinical reports, but the gas flow rates used in different studies vary greatly. Since there is no upper limit for the safe concentration of hydrogen, this study tested the effects of high-flow (not high concentration) hydrogen inhalation on immune function. From October 2019 to January 2020, 20 adult participants (31β60 years old) were enrolled in a self-controlled study to check the immune function in peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets before and after a 2-week hydrogen inhalation protocol. The participants inhaled hydrogen for half hours each day. After 2 weeks of hydrogen inhalation, statistically significant changes were observed in follicular helper T cells, helper and cytotoxic T cells, natural killer and natural killer T cells, and gamma delta T cells, generally suggesting a decrease in their proportions. These results show that high-flow hydrogen inhalation has an inhibitory effect on the immune function of healthy participants. The study protocol received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Fuda Cancer Hospital, Jinan University on December 7, 2018 (approval No. Fuda20181207).
INTRODUCTION
Hydrogen gas is a promising gas stage medicine, with a potential role in preventing cell injury from various sources.12 Hydrogen gas is generated in small amounts by the hydrogenase enzymes of certain microbiota in the human gastrointestinal tract from unabsorbed carbohydrates in the intestine.3 These carbohydrates are degraded and metabolized, and the resulting hydrogen is partially diffused into blood flow where it is released and can be detected in exhaled breath.4 As the lightest molecule in nature, hydrogen gas exhibits appealing pe*******on properties, as it can rapidly diffuse through cell membranes.5
Previously, case reports6789 and a real-world survey10 have demonstrated that high-flow hydrogen inhalation (flow rate: 1 L/min; hydrogen/oxygen: 66.7%/33.3%; half hours each day) was safe and effective for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and other tumors. Although high-flow (not high concentration) hydrogen inhalation can improve the immune function of patients with advanced cancers, it is not clear how it affects the immune function of people without cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of high-flow hydrogen on immune cells function in middle-aged participants, using accurate and comprehensive immunoassay methods.11
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS
Participants
Twenty middle-aged (31β60 years old) participants were recruited in the study from October 2019 through January 2020 at Xu Kecheng Care Health Studio of Guangdong Province, China. This study was a self-control study, comparing the changes of immune indexes before and after hydrogen inhalation for 2 weeks, so there was no control group. The enrollment criteria were that subjects must be 31β60 years of age, without chronic diseases or with mild chronic diseases that were controlled with medication. The exclusion criteria were that subjects must not have malignant tumors, organ transplants, cardiac pacemakers, or refractory chronic diseases that are difficult to control with medication. The study protocol received ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Fuda Cancer Hospital, Jinan University on December 7, 2018 (approval No. Fuda20181207). Written informed consent was obtained from each participant in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Hydrogen inhalation method
Hydrogen was produced by a hydrogen-oxygen nebulizer . The patients remained seated or recumbent and inhaled a mixture of hydrogen (66.7%) and oxygen (33.3%) through a nasal tube with a gas flow rate of 1 L/min. Participants were randomly divided into two groups by random number table (Figure 1). Hydrogen inhalation sessions were for half hours per day for 2 weeks in Xu Kecheng Care Health Studio of Guangdong Province, China.
Immunophenotype evaluation
Up to 5 mL of peripheral blood was extracted from elbow vein in all enrolled patients before and after 2 weeks of hydrogen inhalation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated using Ficoll solution and labeled with fluorescent antibodies (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA). T lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells and gamma delta T (Ξ³Ξ΄ T) cells were analyzed using flow cytometry (FACSanto II; BD Biosciences) by a professional third-party inspection center (Shuangzhi Purui Medical Laboratory Co., Ltd., Wuhan, Hubei Province, China).
Statistical analysis
The calculation method of sample size was based on MedSci Sample Size tools (MSST) software (MedSci, Shanghai, China). The general clinical data of participants were all compared using a two-way analysis of variance before hydrogen inhalation. Cell subsets between and within groups were compared by one-way analysis of variance analysis and Bonferroniβs multiple comparison test. Statistical differences were indicated by P < 0.05. All analyses and figures were produced using Prism 5.0 software (GraphPad, San Diego, CA, USA).
