Background: Oxidative stress is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammation. Recent studies have found that hydrogen gas has the effect of eliminating free radicals. Whether hydrogen saline (more convenient to be used than hydrogen gas) has the anti-inflammation effect or not is still unknown.
Methods: Carrageenan-induced paw oedema and LPS-activated macrophages are studied in this article. Injection of carrageenan into the foot of a mouse elicited an acute inflammatory response characterized by increase of foot volume and infiltration of neutrophils. While tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α) secreted by activated macrophages was determined by ELISA and real-time PCR.
Results: All parameters of inflammation (foot volume, infiltration of neutrophils, amount of TNF-α and the level of TNF-α's mRNA) were attenuated by the hydrogen saline treatment.
Conclusion: As a more convenient way than inhaling H2, hydrogen saline exhibits a protective effect against inflammation and it might provide a novel therapeutic approach for inflammatory diseases.