Molecular hydrogen suppresses glioblastoma growth via inducing the glioma stem-like cell differentiation
Liu MY et al. · Stem Cell Res Ther. 2019;10:145.
Study at a glance
Preclinical
Rat orthotopic C6 glioma, mouse U87 xenograft and C6/U87 cell models
Animals inhaled Brown’s gas / oxyhydrogen in a closed box for 1 hour twice daily; cells received hydrogen-rich medium · 66.666% H₂ + 33.333% O₂ by volume; article reports rounded 67%/33%. Cell medium contained 0.55–0.65 mM dissolved H₂.
From day 2 after model establishment to experiment end; exact duration varies by assay
In the reported animal models, the mixed gas was associated with smaller tumors and longer survival. In cell assays, hydrogen-rich medium was associated with changes in differentiation/stemness markers and reduced sphere formation, migration, invasion and colony formation.
Preclinical only; high-concentration flammable oxyhydrogen mixture, unreported gas flow and animal group sizes, cell lines and animal tumor models. No human participants or clinical outcomes.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Cell-culture and animal study
Brain tumors — glioma and glioblastoma
Inhaled H₂
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
Rat orthotopic C6 glioma, mouse U87 xenograft and C6/U87 cell models
Animal group counts are not reported in the full article text; cell assays report triplicate independent experiments where specified
From day 2 after model establishment to experiment end; exact duration varies by assay
Animals inhaled Brown’s gas / oxyhydrogen in a closed box for 1 hour twice daily; cells received hydrogen-rich medium
Brown’s gas / oxyhydrogen — H₂ and O₂ co-delivered, not H₂ alone.
66.666% H₂ + 33.333% O₂ by volume; article reports rounded 67%/33%. Cell medium contained 0.55–0.65 mM dissolved H₂.
Not reported — cannot be calculated because the total mixed-gas flow is absent from the full article.
33.333% O₂ by volume; O₂ flow not reported. The paper’s separate 2,000 mL/min O₂ value applies to MRI anesthesia, not the hydrogen intervention.
Control animals and cell-culture conditions
Outcomes and reported result
Tumor volume, survival and cell differentiation, stemness, migration, invasion and colony formation
In the reported animal models, the mixed gas was associated with smaller tumors and longer survival. In cell assays, hydrogen-rich medium was associated with changes in differentiation/stemness markers and reduced sphere formation, migration, invasion and colony formation.
The complete open-access article was checked for intervention composition, methods, principal positive and null results, funding and conflicts. Animal group sizes and total gas flow are not reported in the article.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Preclinical only; high-concentration flammable oxyhydrogen mixture, unreported gas flow and animal group sizes, cell lines and animal tumor models. No human participants or clinical outcomes.
The reported laboratory and animal models only. It does not establish a treatment for people with glioblastoma.
SYRCLE risk-of-bias framework · animal tumor-growth and survival results
Serious concerns / largely unclear — preliminary
Random assignment is stated without sequence details; animal group sizes, allocation concealment, housing randomization and blinding are incompletely reported. Blinded evaluation is specified for some histology, not all outcomes.
Unclear — random assignment stated, but sequence generation, baseline balance and concealment are not fully reported. · Unclear/high concern — housing, caregiver blinding and exposure handling are not described in enough detail. · Unclear — animal group counts and complete flow through each analysis are not reported in the extracted methods. · Mixed — blinded investigators are reported for histology, but blinding is unclear for tumor volume, survival and other assays. · Some concerns — no registered protocol identified and numerous animal/cell outcomes were reported.
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 31113492 · DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1241-x
Open-access publisher and PMC full texts are available.
Open-access PMC full text, publisher article and PubMed bibliographic record.
10 August 2026
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