Molecular hydrogen decelerates rheumatoid arthritis progression through inhibition of oxidative stress
Meng J, Yu P, Jiang H, Yuan T, Liu N, Tong J, Chen H, Bao N, Zhao J. · American Journal of Translational Research. 2016;8(10):4472–4477.
Study at a glance
Preclinical
Male DBA/1J mice with collagen-induced arthritis and a cultured human rheumatoid-arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cell line.
Beginning seven days after primary immunization, mice received hydrogen-saturated saline at 10 mL/kg/day for 45 days. Cultured cells received 0.6 mmol/L H₂-enriched medium together with 0.8 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours, with additional measurements through 72 hours. · Hydrogen was dissolved for two hours at 0.4 MPa and the fresh solution was reported above 0.6 mmol/L; cell medium was used at 0.6 mmol/L.
Forty-five days of mouse treatment starting seven days after primary immunization; cell assays covered 24–72 hours.
The article reports lower arthritis incidence and scores and less histological damage in hydrogen-treated mice, with changes in oxidative-stress and signaling measures in cultured cells. Exact numerical animal values and uncertainty estimates are sparse in the text and figures.
Small mouse groups, mixed animal and cell experiments, sparse numerical reporting and no human treatment arm. The article calls the mouse intervention 'oral hydrogen' in one passage but describes daily intraperitoneal hydrogen-saturated saline in the preparation/administration paragraph; Hydrogenology preserves this unresolved route inconsistency rather than choosing silently. Chinese PLA, National Natural Science Foundation of China and Jiangsu clinical-research grants funded the work; authors disclosed no conflict of interest.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled collagen-induced-arthritis mouse experiment with complementary human rheumatoid-synovial-cell assays
Musculoskeletal and pain research
Other forms
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 DBA/1J mice with collagen-induced arthritis and a cultured human rheumatoid-arthritis fibroblast-like synovial cell line.
Mouse groups were normal control n=10, collagen-induced arthritis plus saline n=10 and collagen-induced arthritis plus hydrogen n=10; the article does not report one consolidated sample count for the repeated cell assays.
Forty-five days of mouse treatment starting seven days after primary immunization; cell assays covered 24–72 hours.
Beginning seven days after primary immunization, mice received hydrogen-saturated saline at 10 mL/kg/day for 45 days. Cultured cells received 0.6 mmol/L H₂-enriched medium together with 0.8 mmol/L hydrogen peroxide for 24 hours, with additional measurements through 72 hours.
H₂ dissolved in saline or culture medium — H₂ only, not Brown's gas and not inhalation.
Hydrogen was dissolved for two hours at 0.4 MPa and the fresh solution was reported above 0.6 mmol/L; cell medium was used at 0.6 mmol/L.
Saline-treated arthritic mice, non-arthritic controls and matched cell-culture controls.
Outcomes and reported result
Arthritis incidence and score, joint histology, synovial-cell proliferation, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, 8-OHdG, MAPK, NF-κB and TGF-β1 signaling.
The article reports lower arthritis incidence and scores and less histological damage in hydrogen-treated mice, with changes in oxidative-stress and signaling measures in cultured cells. Exact numerical animal values and uncertainty estimates are sparse in the text and figures.
The complete open-access article, mouse allocation, preparation and concentration, animal and cell protocols, reported results, funding and conflict statement were checked.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Small mouse groups, mixed animal and cell experiments, sparse numerical reporting and no human treatment arm. The article calls the mouse intervention 'oral hydrogen' in one passage but describes daily intraperitoneal hydrogen-saturated saline in the preparation/administration paragraph; Hydrogenology preserves this unresolved route inconsistency rather than choosing silently. Chinese PLA, National Natural Science Foundation of China and Jiangsu clinical-research grants funded the work; authors disclosed no conflict of interest.
Collagen-induced arthritis in mice and cultured synovial cells; it does not establish efficacy or dosing in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 27830032
Open-access PubMed Central article.
Complete PubMed Central article and PubMed metadata; full-text extraction checked 9 August 2026.
10 August 2026
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