Effects of hydrogen as adjuvant treatment for unstable angina.

Abstract

Oxidative stress and inflammation are central to the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Using an ox-LDL-induced injury model in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, this study demonstrated that hydrogen suppresses oxidative stress and inflammatory responses through downregulation of the LOX-1/NF-κB signaling pathway. A subsequent clinical component enrolled 40 hospitalized patients with unstable angina, who received either 1000–1200 mL/day of hydrogen-rich water or an equivalent volume of placebo water alongside standard pharmacotherapy for three months. Patients in the hydrogen-rich water group showed alleviation of angina symptoms. Serum lipid analysis revealed greater reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B concentrations compared with conventional pharmacotherapy alone. These findings indicate that hydrogen-rich water supplementation may confer additional cardiovascular benefit in unstable angina.

Mechanism

Hydrogen downregulates the LOX-1/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby suppressing ox-LDL-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in endothelial cells.