関節リウマチに対する水素含有生理食塩水点滴静注の有効性：無作為化二重盲検プラセボ対照パイロット試験
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study enrolled 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to evaluate intravenous infusion of 1 ppm hydrogen-dissolved saline (500 ml daily for 5 consecutive days). The 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) in the hydrogen group declined from a baseline of 5.18 ± 1.16 to 4.02 ± 1.25 immediately after infusion and further to 3.74 ± 1.22 at the 4-week follow-up, whereas the placebo group showed no significant change. Serum IL-6 fell by 37.3% in the hydrogen group at 4 weeks while rising 33.6% in controls. MMP-3 decreased by 19.2% in the hydrogen group versus an increase of 16.9% in the placebo group. Urinary 8-OHdG, a marker of oxidative DNA damage, was significantly reduced by 4.7% in the hydrogen group. TNF-α levels did not differ markedly between groups. The infusion procedure was well tolerated, with no safety concerns reported.
Molecular hydrogen is proposed to selectively neutralize reactive oxygen species, particularly hydroxyl radicals, thereby suppressing downstream inflammatory mediators such as IL-6 and MMP-3 and reducing joint inflammation in RA.
Intravenous hydrogen-saline infusion is a clinic-only route and is not viable for everyday self-administration. For routine hydrogen intake, inhalation is the most practical route, but inhalation carries explosion risk and concentration matters (empirical LFL of 10%; high-concentration 66% / 100% devices are not recommended).
See also:
https://h2-papers.org/en/papers/24929023