氢气生物学效应研究目前走到一个困境，根据我的个人判断，目前日本的太田教授和美国的Nakao教授（回到日本）已经很少有氢气方面的研究。他们面临主要的困境是无法找到氢气发挥作用的关键机制。最近Nakao教授发表的关于氢气对某些基因表达影响的文章其实是他们早期的工作，他们原来发表的多篇研究论文就是根据这个所谓的基因变化作为线索开展的系列研究，例如他们针对HO-1和肺氧毒性关系的研究，他们针对NFkB和器官移植后损伤关系的研究等，都可以在这个研究中找到身影。也就是说，他们开始先用基因表达组学的方法筛选出某些变化比较明显的基因，然后在不同的疾病模型中验证这些基因的意义。这当然是一种不错的研究思路，但并不能给最终问题的解决提供特别大的帮助，因为基因的表达改变只是比较全面的线索，但不能在分子细节上提供非常具体的证据。因为尽管许多基因改变了，但对寻找引起这些基因变化的原因和氢气的关系仍没有非常大的帮助。

最近有中国学者针对他们关于氢气影响基因表达的文章发表一篇来信，提出一种观点，就是把氢气和中医学结合起来，学术讨论当然要提倡畅所欲言，不过总觉得这个说法十分牵强，估计Nakao将对这个来信进行答复，但不知会作何解释。

个人认为，把氢气和中医理论结合起来对研究氢气的机制没有太大意义，甚至可能会干扰问题的解决。

Letter to the Editor on “Profiling molecular changes induced by hydrogen treatment of lung allografts prior to procurement”

Jing Yao Zhang, Chang Liu,

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China

Available online 17 September 2012

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.09.073, How to Cite or Link Using DOIPermissions & ReprintsRefers toYugo Tanaka, Norihisa Shigemura, Tomohiro Kawamura, Kentaro Noda, Kumiko Isse, Donna Beer Stolz, Timothy R. Billiar, Yoshiya Toyoda, Christian A. Bermudez, James Lyons-Weiler, Atsunori Nakao

Profiling molecular changes induced by hydrogen treatment of lung allografts prior to procurement

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 425, Issue 4, 7 September 2012, Pages 873-879

 PDF (1003 K)     Supplementary content  |     

In the last 5 years, hydrogen therapy has been one of the most popular new technologies since Ohsawa discovered its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties [1]. It has been proved effective in various diseases via animal models and clinical researches. Recently, an important research about hydrogen therapy was published in BBRC, Nakao et al. [2⁎] proved that hydrogen therapy significantly increases expression of surfactant-related molecules, ATP synthases and stress-response molecules in lung grafts, and theses have the protective effects against I/R injury during transplantation. However, the detailed molecule mechanism is still a challenge for the scientists from the view of western medicine [3]. In fact, when we change an angle, we can find the hydrogen therapy happens to hold the same view with the traditional Chinese medicine. 我们换个角度就可以发现关于氢气的治疗恰好和传统中国医学的观点不谋而合。

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been developed for thousands of years and attention is being paid increasingly by the western world. 中医学有数千年的发展历史，正在受到西方世界的关注（其实西方医学也是有数千年的发展历史，中医只是医学发展历史中的一类，或有人说异类）。

Although the theories of the traditional Chinese medicine and modern/western medicine are quite different, the combination of the two doctrines is the tendency of the future medicine. （尽管中西医学的理论非常不同，但中西医学的结合将是未来医学发展的趋势）。阴阳学说是中医的基本理论，阴阳理论主要的内涵包括平衡和协调。而现代医学所描述的氧化和抗氧化平衡正是体现了这种观点。因此作者认为，氢气可以作为调节阴阳平衡来发挥作用。

如此说，酸硷平衡、血压平衡、睡眠和清醒、呼吸、血糖和胰岛素、甲状腺和能量代谢、交感和副交感神经，都应该符合阴阳平衡的观点。所以这样说有点是生搬硬套的感觉。如果从氧化平衡的观点出发，氢气绝对不是唯一，可以调节氧化平衡的东西实在太多，怎么就把这重大责任给了氢气。因为它简单、单纯、还是因为他它作用让人桌面不透。

Thereinto, the yin–yang theory is the most basic and important in the TCM. It has been proposed that the yin–yang relationship, mainly including the concepts of balance, harmony and homeostatic, is actually the antioxidant–oxidant balance concept described in modern medicine [4] and [5]. So we can speculate that the hydrogen molecule can re-balance the yin–yang and re-keep the natural harmony yin–yang in the body.

Although the hydrogen therapy is a perfect method to various diseases, we admit that it is not a specific treatment method for a special disease; it is not the etiological treatment. It is the Jack of all trades for its special property. In the theory of the TCM, there are four kinds of drugs in the treatment. They are “principal component, adjuvant ingredient, complement, guide” [6]. They play different roles in the treatment of a disease. So, for its characteristic, we can classify the hydrogen therapy as the adjuvant ingredient. It can be the effective assistant in the treatment.

尽管氢气治疗对许多疾病是一种完美的方法，在提出研究依据的时候说一些冠冕堂皇的理由，不能就认为这种方法就是完美的。从基本道理上讲，有治疗作用就意味着可能存在不良效果。完美的说法并不妥当，说神奇或奇妙尚有有些道理。氢气治疗疾病的理论（目前都是猜想或假说，绝对谈不上理论）主要是氢气具有抗氧化和抗炎症的作用，而且几乎没有任何副作用（没有发现任何副作用，但不能说没有）。目前有两类给氢气的途径，一是通过呼吸，另一是通过把氢气溶解在水中或生理盐水中。我们猜想，将来如果把所有的饮水都换成氢气水，把所有的临床用生理盐水都换成氢气溶解的生理盐水，把所有的碳酸饮料都换成氢气饮料。由于氢气的作用恰好和中国传统医学理论相符合，氢气治疗的应用将可能在中国出现突破。

The prospect of the hydrogen therapy is very encouraging for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties while there is almost no side effect [3]. There are two kinds of valid delivery of hydrogen, including the inhalation and hydrogen-rich water, of which the hydrogen-rich water is more convenient and acceptable. We imagine the future of the hydrogen therapy—hydrogen-rich saline replacing the normal saline, hydrogen-rich drinking water replacing the daily drinking water and hydrogen-rich beverage replacing the Coca-Cola. Because of the coincidence with the traditional Chinese medicine theory, the widespread use of the hydrogen therapy may have the breakthrough in China.

Reference

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Hydrogen acts as a therapeutic antioxidant by selectively reducing cytotoxic oxygen radicals

Nat. Med., 13 (2007), pp. 688–694

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[2∗]A. Nakao

Profiling molecular changes induced by hydrogen treatment of lung allografts prior to procurement

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 425 (2012), pp. 873–879

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A review of hydrogen as a new medical therapy

Hepatogastroenterology, 59 (116) (2012), pp. 1026–1032 http://dx.doi.org/10.5754/hge11883

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Corresponding author.

Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier