The preventive and therapeutic effect of hydrogen on cancer
Apr 10,2024
Gas signaling molecules, including carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), and hydrogen sulfide, have been shown to have cancer therapeutic potential, pointing to new directions for cancer treatment. In recent years, a series of studies have confirmed that hydrogen, a weakly reducing gas, also has therapeutic effects on various cancers, and can relieve oxidative stress caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, reduce tissue damage and immune suppression, thereby improving prognosis. At the same time, hydrogen also has an immunomodulatory effect, which can inhibit T cell exhaustion and enhance the anti-tumor function of T cells. It is worth noting that human intestinal flora can produce a large amount of hydrogen every day, which becomes a natural barrier to maintain the body's resistance to diseases such as tumors. Although the potential anti-tumor mechanism of hydrogen still needs further study, previous studies have shown that hydrogen can selectively scavenge highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibit various ROS-dependent signaling pathways in cancer cells, thereby inhibiting Cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. The ability of hydrogen to scavenge ROS may also be a potential mechanism for its immunomodulatory function. In this article, we review the importance of hydrogen produced by intestinal microbiota on the body's immune homeostasis, the role of hydrogen in cancer treatment and its underlying mechanisms, and the specific applications of hydrogen to provide new approaches for comprehensive treatment of cancer patients. ideas.
The authors of this review are mainly from the Cancer Research Center of Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University
Zhou W, Zhang J, Chen W, Miao C. Prospects of molecular hydrogen in cancer prevention and treatment. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2024 Mar 31;150(4):170.
I. Introduction
According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the first or second leading cause of death in 112 of 183 countries around the world, posing a serious threat to human health. Overall, the global burden of cancer morbidity and mortality will continue to increase. Currently, surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for solid tumors, supplemented by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, including a variety of cytotoxic drugs, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) antibodies. However, these methods often fail to achieve satisfactory clinical results in cancer treatment.
Gas signaling molecules are small molecule gases that influence cell biology by modulating signal transduction, such as nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Studies have confirmed that a variety of gas signaling molecules have anti-tumor properties and can be used directly or as specific agent products for anti-cancer treatment.
Recent studies have identified hydrogen (H2) as another gas signaling molecule that shows interesting potential in cancer treatment. Since Dole et al. discovered in 1975 that high concentrations of H2 could cure squamous cell carcinoma implanted in the skin of mice, numerous laboratory and clinical studies have confirmed that H2 is effective against various cancers. In addition, H2 effectively synergizes with anti-cancer therapies such as radiotherapy and cytotoxic drugs to reduce damage to the body and improve patient prognosis.
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Figure various applications of hydrogen
In a landmark study in 2007, Oshawa et al. found that H2 can selectively neutralize highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) (hydroxyl radical OH and peroxynitrite ONOO–) without affecting other physiological Sexual ROS. The ROS scavenging ability of H2 may be the key underlying mechanism for its anti-tumor activity. However, the underlying mechanism of hydrogen in tumor therapy remains controversial due to the lack of specific receptors shared by other gas signaling molecules. In this review, we first discuss the importance of H2 metabolism by intestinal microbiota under physiological conditions to the homeostasis of human homeostasis. We then discuss the mechanism of H2's anti-tumor effects through its unique antioxidant capacity to provide a comprehensive explanation of the mechanism of hydrogen's action in tumor therapy. Finally, we discuss the specific roles of different application modes of H2 and explore the prospects of hydrogen application in clinical tumor treatment.
