The potential utilizations of hydrogen as a promising therapeutic strategy against ocular diseases

Abstract

Ye Tao,1,* Lei Geng,2,* Wei-Wei Xu,1 Li-Min Qin,1 Guang-Hua Peng,1 Yi-Fei Huang1 1Department of Ophthalmology, 2Department of Orthopaedics, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Ophthalmology & Visual Science Key Lab of PLA, Beijing, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Hydrogen, one of the most well-known natural molecules, has been used in numerous medical applications owing to its ability to selectively neutralize cytotoxic reactive oxygen species and ameliorate hazardous inflammations. Hydrogen can exert protective effects on various reactive oxygen species-related diseases, including the transplantation-induced intestinal graft injury, chronic inflammation, ischemia–reperfusion injuries, and so on. Especially in the eye, hydrogen has been used to counteract multiple ocular pathologies in the ophthalmological models. Herein, the ophthalmological utilizations of hydrogen are systematically reviewed and the underlying mechanisms of hydrogen-induced beneficial effects are discussed. It is our hope that the protective effects of hydrogen, as evidenced by these pioneering studies, would enrich our pharmacological knowledge about this natural element and cast light into the discovery of a novel therapeutic strategy against ocular diseases. Keywords: hydrogen, therapeutic strategy, ocular diseases

Keywords

• hydrogen
• therapeutic strategy
• ocular diseases