The potential cardioprotective effects of hydrogen in irradiated mice
Qian L, Cao F, Cui J, Wang Y, Huang Y, Chuai Y, Zaho L, Jiang H, Cai J. · Journal of Radiation Research. 2010;51(6):741–747.
Study at a glance
Preclinical
Male BALB/c mice exposed either to 7 Gy whole-body cobalt-60 gamma irradiation or to a single 15 Gy localized cardiac dose, depending on the experiment.
Mice received hydrogen-rich pure drinking water beginning 24 hours before irradiation. The study presents this as pretreatment; the exact continuation schedule after irradiation is not stated consistently across all outcome experiments. · Hydrogen-rich water was maintained above 0.6 mmol/L and verified by gas chromatography.
H₂-rich water began 24 hours before irradiation; survival was followed for 30 days, early cardiac assessments occurred at 24 hours and late histology at 100 days.
After 7 Gy whole-body irradiation, 90% of mice without H₂ pretreatment died by day 13, while 80% of H₂-pretreated mice were alive at day 30. Cardiac histology did not differ among groups at 24 hours; at day 100, myocardial degeneration was reported in 40% of irradiated ordinary-water mice and in none of the H₂-pretreated mice. Myocardial MDA, 8-OHdG and comet parameters were lower and antioxidant measures higher with H₂ pretreatment.
Preclinical study combining different irradiation doses and outcome cohorts, with figure-specific rather than fully consolidated allocation, many surrogate laboratory outcomes, no functional cardiac endpoint and unclear postirradiation water schedule for each experiment. It tests pretreatment, not rescue therapy. The National Natural Science Foundation of China funded the study; authors reported no conflicts of interest.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled mouse radiation experiments with survival, cardiac histology and oxidative/DNA-damage assays
Cardiovascular and circulatory health
H₂-rich water
Information not yet classified
Some editorial classification fields are still pending. The source-reported outcomes and result are shown below; Hydrogenology does not infer a positive or negative signal from prose automatically.
Methods
Male BALB/c mice exposed either to 7 Gy whole-body cobalt-60 gamma irradiation or to a single 15 Gy localized cardiac dose, depending on the experiment.
90 mice in total. The 30-day survival experiment used 20 mice per irradiated water arm; histology and biochemical/DNA-damage experiments used separate figure-specific subsets, including n=6 for reported assays, rather than one common analysis cohort.
H₂-rich water began 24 hours before irradiation; survival was followed for 30 days, early cardiac assessments occurred at 24 hours and late histology at 100 days.
Mice received hydrogen-rich pure drinking water beginning 24 hours before irradiation. The study presents this as pretreatment; the exact continuation schedule after irradiation is not stated consistently across all outcome experiments.
H₂ dissolved in drinking water — H₂ only, not Brown's gas.
Hydrogen-rich water was maintained above 0.6 mmol/L and verified by gas chromatography.
Irradiated mice receiving ordinary pure water, with non-irradiated age-matched controls for relevant histology and biochemical comparisons.
Outcomes and reported result
Thirty-day survival, early and late cardiac histology and collagen, myocardial superoxide dismutase and glutathione, malondialdehyde, 8-OHdG and comet-assay DNA-damage parameters.
After 7 Gy whole-body irradiation, 90% of mice without H₂ pretreatment died by day 13, while 80% of H₂-pretreated mice were alive at day 30. Cardiac histology did not differ among groups at 24 hours; at day 100, myocardial degeneration was reported in 40% of irradiated ordinary-water mice and in none of the H₂-pretreated mice. Myocardial MDA, 8-OHdG and comet parameters were lower and antioxidant measures higher with H₂ pretreatment.
The complete free J-STAGE/author-uploaded PDF, total sample, irradiation protocols, H₂ preparation and concentration, survival, early null histology, late histology, oxidative and DNA-damage findings, funding and conflict declaration were checked.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Preclinical study combining different irradiation doses and outcome cohorts, with figure-specific rather than fully consolidated allocation, many surrogate laboratory outcomes, no functional cardiac endpoint and unclear postirradiation water schedule for each experiment. It tests pretreatment, not rescue therapy. The National Natural Science Foundation of China funded the study; authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Radiation injury in male mice under the reported pretreatment protocols; it does not establish cardioprotection, dosing or safety during human radiotherapy.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 21116102 · DOI: 10.1269/jrr.10093
Free publisher PDF on J-STAGE; a free author-uploaded full-text copy is also available.
Complete Journal of Radiation Research PDF from J-STAGE, author-uploaded full-text copy and PubMed metadata; full-text extraction checked 9 August 2026.
10 August 2026
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