Hydrogen water ameliorates the severity of atopic dermatitis-like lesions and decreases interleukin-1β, interleukin-33, and mast cell infiltration in NC/Nga mice
Kajisa T, Yamaguchi T, Hu A, Suetake N, Kobayashi H. · Saudi Medical Journal. 2017;38(9):928–936.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Randomized mouse spontaneous-mild-dermatitis drinking-water experiment with disease-free control
Skin, wound and aging research
H₂-rich water
Not reported in this record.
Not reported in this record.
Methods at a glance
Male 12-week-old NC/Nga mice with mild spontaneous dermatitis and specific-pathogen-free disease-free mice.
H₂ water n=11, purified water n=9 and disease-free purified-water control n=9. Several tissue/figure analyses report only n=4 per group, without a full explanation of selection from the randomized groups.
Four weeks, with baseline and end-of-treatment assessments.
Ad-libitum electrolyzed H₂ water replaced daily for four weeks.
H₂ dissolved in drinking water — H₂ only, not Brown's gas and not inhalation.
Dissolved H₂ 1.0±0.1 ppm, pH 6.8±0.1 and reported oxidation-reduction potential 500±30 mV; intake and generator flow were not reported.
Not applicable — drinking water; electrolyzer gas flow was not reported.
No O₂ was co-delivered as part of the intervention.
Purified water in mice with dermatitis and in specific-pathogen-free disease-free controls.
Outcomes and reported result
Dermatitis score, transepidermal water loss, serum TARC, skin cytokines, mast/eosinophil/lymphocyte infiltration and TARC/AQP-3 expression.
Dermatitis score, water loss, serum TARC, IL-1β, IL-33 and mast-cell infiltration favored H₂ water. Skin IFN-γ, skin TARC, TARC/AQP-3 gene expression, lymphocytes and eosinophils did not differ in the reported comparisons; purified water alone also reduced water loss over time.
The complete free PMC article, table and figures were checked for randomization, full and assay-specific group sizes, water specification, positive and null outcomes, limitations, commercial equipment support and disclosures.
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
Small male-mouse study, only two time points, many endpoints, tissue assays reduced to n=4 per group, no qPCR confirmation for cytokines and spontaneous model. Authors declared no conflicts and no drug-company funding; Gohda Water Treatment Technology supplied the H₂ generator.
Mild spontaneous dermatitis in NC/Nga mice; it does not establish efficacy or safety for human atopic dermatitis.
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: 28889151 · DOI: 10.15537/smj.2017.9.20807
Free full article in PubMed Central.
Complete PMC article and PubMed metadata; full-text extraction checked 9 August 2026.
2026-08-10