Therapeutic effects of hydrogen on chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Abstract

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) represents a leading cause of non-relapse mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, with inflammatory cytokine dysregulation and fibrosis as central pathogenic drivers. Using an MHC-incompatible murine bone marrow transplantation model, this study examined whether hydrogen-rich saline administration could mitigate cGVHD. Survival rates and skin lesion severity were monitored after transplantation. Mice receiving hydrogen-rich saline showed improved survival and reduced skin pathology compared with controls. These findings extend prior observations on hydrogen in acute GVHD to the chronic form, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-fibrotic properties of molecular hydrogen may contribute to beneficial outcomes in cGVHD.

Mechanism

Molecular hydrogen is proposed to suppress cGVHD pathology by counteracting inflammatory cytokine imbalance and tissue fibrosis through its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-fibrotic properties.