Oral ‘hydrogen water’ induces neuroprotective ghrelin secretion in mice
Matsumoto A et al. · Sci Rep. 2013;3:3273.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Multiple controlled mouse ghrelin and MPTP-Parkinson-model experiments with pharmacologic blockade
Parkinson’s disease
Other forms
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Adult mice in gastric-expression, plasma-ghrelin and MPTP neurotoxicity cohorts
Assay-specific groups ranged from n=2–10; for example n=4, n=5–10, n=4–5 and n=2–6 in principal figures
Four days for ghrelin experiments; seven days before MPTP and seven days of post-MPTP assessment
Hydrogen water 0.8 mL/mouse once daily in ghrelin experiments and saturated H₂ water before MPTP in the Parkinson model
H₂ dissolved in oral water — H₂ only, not Brown’s gas and not inhalation.
Preparations ranged from about 0.04 mmol/L to saturated about 0.8 mmol/L H₂; magnesium-stick and open-air-electrolysis methods were used in different experiments.
Not applicable — oral water, not gas inhalation; preparation flow was not reported.
No O₂ was co-delivered as part of the H₂ intervention.
Control water with or without atenolol or a ghrelin-receptor antagonist and saline/MPTP controls
Outcomes and reported result
Gastric ghrelin expression, plasma ghrelin and substantia-nigra dopaminergic-neuron measures
The article reports increased ghrelin after four days and less MPTP-associated dopaminergic-neuron loss; atenolol or a ghrelin-receptor antagonist abolished the reported neuroprotection.
Preparation, concentrations, volume, schedules, assay-specific samples and antagonist results checked in the open-access full text.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit. Null findings, outcome type, study design and precision all matter.
Cautions and applicability
Several small mechanistic mouse cohorts and three water-preparation methods; results do not establish benefit in people with Parkinson’s disease.
Ghrelin signaling and MPTP neurotoxicity in mice.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Certainty is assessed by important outcome across a complete eligible evidence set, not by attaching a final grade to one source.
Sources and record status
PMID: 24253616 · DOI: 10.1038/srep03273
Open-access full text is available through PMC and Nature.
Open-access PMC/Nature article and PubMed record; no retraction or expression of concern was shown in the checked records on 7 August 2026.
2026-08-10