Realizing brain therapy with "smart medicine": mechanism and case report of molecular hydrogen inhalation for Parkinson's disease.

Abstract

In the midbrain of individuals with Parkinson's disease, hydroxyl radicals produced through the Fenton reaction initiate a cascade of dopamine oxidation. Because the hydrogen molecule is an exceptionally small diatomic species, it readily crosses cell membranes and reaches midbrain tissue, where it converts hydroxyl radicals into water, thereby interrupting dopamine oxidation. This paper examines the neurological etiology of Parkinson's disease from this mechanistic perspective and presents a case in which H2 inhalation was associated with symptomatic improvement, including reduction of postural bending and hand tremor. The authors propose that molecular hydrogen addresses fundamental obstacles encountered in central nervous system drug development, positioning it as a candidate approach for neurodegenerative conditions.

Mechanism

H2 molecules penetrate the blood-brain barrier and enter midbrain tissue, where they neutralize Fenton-reaction-derived hydroxyl radicals by converting them to water, thereby blocking the oxidative chain reaction that degrades dopamine.