Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026
Induction of Periodontitis via a Combination of Ligature and Lipopolysaccharide Injection in a Rat Model
Published on: February 17, 2023
Hydrogen-rich water attenuates experimental periodontitis in a rat model
Kenta Kasuyama1, Takaaki Tomofuji, Daisuke Ekuni
1Department of Preventive Dentistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan.
Aim:
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to the development of periodontitis. As molecular hydrogen can act as a scavenger of ROS, we examined the effects of treatment with hydrogen-rich water on a rat model of periodontitis.
Material & Methods:
A ligature was placed around the maxillary molars for 4 weeks to induce periodontitis, and the animals were given drinking water with or without hydrogen-rich water.
Results:
The rats with periodontitis which were treated with pure water showed a time-dependent increase in serum ROS level. Compared with the rats without periodontitis, the periodontitis-induced rats which were given pure water also showed polymorphonuclear leucocyte infiltration and alveolar bone loss at 4 weeks. Hydrogen-rich water intake inhibited an increase in serum ROS level and lowered expression of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and nitrotyrosine in the periodontal tissue at 4 weeks. Such conditions prevented polymorphonuclear leucocyte infiltration and osteoclast differentiation following periodontitis progression. Furthermore, inflammatory signalling pathways, such as mitogen-activated protein kinases, were less activated in periodontal lesions from hydrogen-rich water-treated rats as compared with pure water-treated rats.
Conclusion:
Consuming hydrogen-rich water might be beneficial in suppressing periodontitis progression by decreasing gingival oxidative stress.
