High-Concentration Hydrogen Delivery During Dialysis Using an Innovative Direct Dissolution Technique: In Vivo...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nephrology
• Gas Therapy

Background:

• Hydrogen gas (H₂) exhibits significant therapeutic potential across various medical applications.
• Hemodialysis, involving substantial dialysate-blood contact, offers a viable route for H₂ administration.
• Conventional methods for generating hydrogen-enriched water often involve electrolysis, which can be complex and less stable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an innovative system for generating hydrogen-enriched dialysate for hemodialysis.
• To compare the efficacy of direct H₂ dissolution with traditional electrolysis methods.
• To assess H₂ concentrations and distribution within a canine hemodialysis model.

Main Methods:

• A novel system directly dissolved H₂ gas into tap water, creating saturated water.
• Reverse osmosis (RO) was used to prepare the final dialysate from the H₂-saturated water.
• A canine hemodialysis model was employed to measure H₂ concentrations in the dialysate and blood.

Main Results:

• The system consistently produced dialysate with stable H₂ concentrations (approx. 230 ppb).
• H₂ effectively diffused into the extracorporeal blood circuit, reaching 54.0-67.7% of dialysate levels.
• Low systemic arterial H₂ concentrations suggested localized action within the dialysis circuit, likely due to pulmonary clearance.

Conclusions:

• The direct dissolution system provides higher and more stable H₂ concentrations compared to traditional electrolyzed water methods.
• The system's simpler design and potential for lower costs indicate feasibility for clinical use.
• Further research into hemodiafiltration (HDF) may enhance systemic H₂ delivery and clinical benefits.