Hydrogen treatment of skin diseasesScientific Research

Hydrogen(H2) treatment for acute erythymatous skin diseases. A report of 4 patients with safety data and a non-controlled feasibility study with H2 concentration measurement on two volunteers

Hirohisa Ono,^#1 Yoji Nishijima,^#1 Naoto Adachi,^#1 Masaki Sakamoto,^#1 Yohei Kudo,^#1 Jun Nakazawa,^#1 Kumi Kaneko,^#1 and Atsunori Nakao^#2

4 patients with acute erythematous skin diseases with fever and/or pain were treated by intravenous administration of hydrogen-enriched IV fluid. We also added data from two volunteers to evaluate the mode of delivery of H 2 to the skin to assess the feasibility of H 2 treatment for this type of skin disease. All four patients received intravenous administration of 500 ml of H2-enriched fluid over 30 minutes for more than 3 days, except for one patient only once.From two volunteers (one for intravenous H2 and the other for inhaled H2), blood samples were drawn sequentially and air samples were collected from a heavy plastic bag covering the leg before, during, and after H2 administration. These samples were checked for H2 concentration immediately by gas chromatography. Numerous physiological parameters and blood chemistry data were also collected. These 4 patients’ erythema and associated symptoms improved significantly after H2 treatment and did not recur. Administration of H2 does not change physiological parameters and does not cause deterioration of blood chemistry.

The concentration of H2 in the blood of the volunteers increased rapidly with H2 inhalation and slowly decreased with the cessation of H2, especially in venous blood, whereas the H2 concentration in air from the leg surface showed much slower changes even after H2 inhalation ceased. , at least during sampling.
Improvement in acute erythematous skin disease followed administration of hydrogen-enriched H2 fluid without compromising safety. The hydrogen H2 delivery study of two volunteers suggested initial direct delivery and additional sustained delivery, possibly from a slowly depleting reservoir in the surface skin.

Robert C, Kupper TS. Inflammatory skin diseases, T cells, and immune surveillance. N Eng J Med. 1999;341:1817–1828. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199912093412407.
Ely JW, Stone MS. The generalized rash: Part1. Differential diagnosis. Am Fm Physician. 2010;81:726–734.
Trenam CW, Blake DR, Morris CJ. Skin inflammation: Reactive oxygen species and the role of iron. J Invest Dermatol. 1992;99:675–682. doi: 10.1111/1523-1747.ep12613740.
Zhang N, Komine-Kobayashi M, Tanaka R, Liu M, Mizuno Y, Urabe T. Edaravone reduces early accumulation of oxidative products and sequential inflammatory responses after transient focal ischemia in mice brain. Stroke. 2005;36:2220–2225. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000182241.07096.06.
Ohsawa I, Ishikawa M, Takahashi K, Watanabe M, Nishimaki K, Yamagata K, Katsura K, Katayama Y, Asoh S, Ohta S. Hydrogen acts as a therapeutic antioxidant by selectively reducing cytotoxic oxygen radicals. Nat Med. 2007;13:688–694. doi: 10.1038/nm1577.
Levitt MD. Production and excretion of hydrogen gas in man. N Eng J Med. 1969;281:122–127. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196907172810303.
Ono H, Nishijima Y, Adachi N, Tachibana S, Chitoku S, Mukaihara S, Sakamoto M, Kudo Y, Nakazawa J, Kaneko K, Nawashiro H. Improved brain MRI indices in the acute brain stem infarct sites treated with hydroxyl radical scavengers, Edaravone and hydrogen as compared to Edaravone alone. A non-randamized study. Medical Gas Research. 2011;1:12–20. doi: 10.1186/2045-9912-1-12. [PMC free article]
Grange PA, Chereau C, Raingeaud J, Nicco C, Weill B, Dupin N, Batteux F. Production of superoxide anions by keratinocytes initiates P. acnes-induced inflammation of the skin. PLoS Pathogens. 2009;5:1–14. [PMC free article]
Bedard K, Krause K-H. The NOX family of ROS-generating NADPH oxidases: Physiology and pathophysiology. Physiol Rev. 2007;87:245–313. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00044.2005.
Chamulitrat W, Schmidt R, Tomakidi P, Stremmel W, Chunglok W, Kawahara T, Rokutan K. Association of gp91phox homolog Nox1 with anchorage-independent growth and MAP kinase activation of transformed human keratinocytes. Oncogene. 2003;22:6045–6053. doi: 10.1038/sj.onc.1206654.
Huang C-S, Kawamura T, Toyoda Y, Nakao A. Recent advances in hydrogen research as a therapeutic medical gas. Free radical Reesearh. 2010;44:971–982. doi: 10.3109/10715762.2010.500328.
Aukland K, Bower BF, Berliner RW. Measurement of localblood flow with hydrogen gas. Circ Res. 1964;14:164–187. doi: 10.1161/01.RES.14.2.164.
Treherne JE. The permeability of skin to some nonelectrolytes. J Phsiol. 1956;133:171–180.