Effects of Hydrogenized Water on Intracellular Biomarkers for Antioxidants, Glucose Uptake, Insulin Signaling and SIRT 1 and Telomerase Activity

摘要

Hydrogen has been shown in several clinical trials to be completely safe without adverse events andthere are no warnings in the literature of its toxicity or adverse effects during long-term exposure. Molecularhydrogen has proven useful and convenient as a novel antioxidant and modifier of gene expression in manyconditions where oxidative stress and changes in gene expression result in cellular damage. Our intracellularbiomarker studies have shown that a hydrogenized water drink formula containing 2.6 ppm dissolved hydrogen wasable to penetrate cellular membranes and function as an antioxidant in human liver cells (HePG2) utilizing theCellular Antioxidant Assay (CAA). This assay uses the protection of a florescent probe as a marker for cellulardamage by reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as peroxyl radical, and compares this to the known antioxidantstandard, Quercetin. Using this system oxidative damage was reduced in a dose-dependent manner. One ml ofhydrogenized water was found to possess antioxidant capacity equivalent to 0.05 μmole of quercetin. Whenexamined in a human colon cell line (Caco-2 cells), hydrogenized water demonstrated a dose- and time-dependentpermeability inhibition of an intracellular fluorescent glucose derivative (2-NBDG), indicating decreased glucoseuptake. In another study, the impact of hydrogenized water on Akt phosphorylation (Ser473), a biomarker for insulinsignaling, was monitored in human skeletal muscle cells. The hydrogenized water treatment markedly elevated thelevel of phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-aging effects of hydrogenized waterwere examined utilizing SIRT1 expression as a biomarker of aging in human umbilical cells (HUVECs).Hydrogenized water increased dose-dependent SIRT1 gene expression. Hydrogenized water also increasedtelomerase activity (an anti-aging biomarker in HUVEC cells) up to 148% when cells were treated with mediacontaining 25% hydrogenized water formula. Increased telomerase activity caused by hydrogenized water may beable to protect telomeres from degradation, suggesting the possible use of hydrogenized water in therapeuticinterventions of age-related diseases. These studies show that commercial hydrogenized water improved the levelsor activities of a few intracellular biomarkers specific for antioxidant activity, glucose uptake, insulin signaling andSIRT 1 and telomerase activities. Industrial Relevance: The molecular hydrogen used in this study indicates thatcertain commercial sources of hydrogenized water can provide similar antioxidant and gene expressionmodifications seen in other sources of molecular hydrogen. The biomarkers evaluated here lend well tohydrogenized water’s biological activity relating to health conditions and aging.