Controlled release of hydrogen by implantation of magnesium induces P53-mediated tumor cells apoptosis
Zan R, Wang H, Cai W, Ni J, Luthringer-Feyerabend BJC, Wang W, Peng H, Ji W, Yan J, Xia J, Song Y, Zhang X. · 2022.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled tumor-cell and mouse implantation study
Cancer research
Other forms
Positive preclinical signal.
Tumor-growth, cell-death and mechanistic outcomes.
Methods at a glance
Human tumor cell lines and tumor-bearing mice exposed to locally released molecular hydrogen.
Cell experiments and small mouse groups; assay-specific counts are reported in the full article.
Article-specific cell time points and a 24-day mouse experiment.
Magnesium implants released molecular hydrogen locally; separate cell experiments used controlled hydrogen exposure.
Locally generated molecular H₂ from implanted magnesium, with related in-vitro exposure.
Article-specific implant and exposure conditions; systemic dose was not established.
Not applicable.
No oxygen was intentionally co-delivered.
Sham or non-hydrogen controls in cell and animal experiments.
Outcomes and reported result
Tumor growth, reactive-oxygen-species measures, apoptosis and p53-related signaling.
The article reports reduced tumor growth and oxidative-stress measures and increased apoptosis-related signaling in the hydrogen-releasing conditions.
The full article was checked for methods, intervention details, outcomes, positive and null findings, funding and conflicts. This record does not imply medical efficacy.
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
Preclinical device-mediated delivery; magnesium and local implant effects cannot be assumed to equal inhaled or oral H₂ exposure.
The tested cell and mouse tumor models only.
SYRCLE animal-study tool — preliminary
Some concerns
Controlled experiments were reported, but allocation concealment, assessor blinding and multiplicity handling were unclear.
Sequence generation checked where reported · Allocation concealment generally unclear · Personnel blinding generally unclear · Outcome-assessor blinding generally unclear · No prospectively registered analysis plan identified
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: 34820578 · DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.07.026
A free full article is available through PubMed Central.
Official PubMed Central full article and PubMed bibliographic record; source identity, methods, intervention, results, funding and conflicts checked 10 August 2026.
2026-08-10