Hydrogen ameliorates oxidative stress via PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in UVB-induced HaCaT cells
Zhang B, Zhao Z, Meng X, Chen H, Fu G, Xie K. · Int J Mol Med. 2018;41(6):3653–3661.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled cell-culture study
Skin, wound and aging research
Other forms
Positive cell-culture signal.
Cell viability and mechanistic pathway outcomes.
Methods at a glance
HaCaT keratinocytes exposed to UVB radiation.
Approximately five to six independent observations per assay as reported.
Up to 24 hours depending on assay.
Hydrogen-rich culture medium after UVB exposure, with a PI3K inhibitor in mechanistic experiments.
H₂ dissolved in cell-culture medium.
0.6 mmol/L dissolved H₂.
Not applicable.
No oxygen was co-delivered.
UVB-exposed and non-exposed conventional medium, with pathway-inhibitor comparisons.
Outcomes and reported result
Cell viability, ROS, oxidative markers, apoptosis and PI3K/Akt/FoxO signaling.
Several viability, oxidative, apoptotic and pathway measures favored hydrogen-rich medium after UVB exposure.
The full article methods, intervention, outcomes, positive and null findings, funding and conflict statements were checked.
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
Cell-only evidence; pathway-inhibitor experiments are mechanistic and do not establish patient benefit.
The HaCaT cell model and tested exposure only.
In-vitro study appraisal — preliminary
Some concerns
Assay comparators were present, but replicate-level randomization, blinding and multiplicity control were not established.
Independent replicate reporting checked · Exposure and comparator checked · Assay blinding generally unreported · Multiplicity and selective reporting remain possible · External validity is limited to the tested cells
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: 29532858 · DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3550
A free publisher or repository full article was checked.
Publisher or repository full article and bibliographic record; checked 10 August 2026.
2026-08-10