# Long-Term Consumption of Hydrogen-Rich Water Mitigates Oxidative Stress, Hepatic Inflammation, and Apoptosis in Rats with LPS-Induced Chronic Liver Injury

## TL;DR

Drinking hydrogen-rich water long-term may protect the liver from chronic inflammation and damage in rats.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates the long-term protective effects of hydrogen-rich water on chronic liver inflammation in rats.

## Key findings

- Long-term HRW consumption reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and pro-inflammatory factors in liver tissue.
- HRW suppressed apoptotic signaling pathways and preserved anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in chronic inflammation.
- HRW may delay chronic liver injury by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis.

## Abstract

(1) Background: Chronic inflammation is considered an important pathological basis underlying the development and progression of multiple metabolic liver diseases; although hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has shown beneficial effects in acute inflammation, its long-term impact on chronic hepatic inflammation remains unclear. (2) Methods: Sprague–Dawley rats were pretreated with HRW for 8 months, after which a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat model of chronic hepatic inflammation was established, with continuous HRW administration throughout the experimental period. (3) Results: Long-term HRW consumption significantly reduced LPS-induced inflammatory cell infiltration in liver tissue, suppressed the abnormal elevation of pro-inflammatory factors, and maintained relatively stable expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors. In addition, HRW attenuated pro-apoptotic signaling associated with the death receptor pathway, mitochondrial pathway, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (including Bax, Cyt c, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, Caspase-12, CHOP, and GRP78), while preserving the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, thereby partially preventing the tendency toward hepatocyte apoptosis induced by chronic inflammation. (4) Conclusions: Long-term consumption of HRW may delay the onset and progression of chronic inflammation-related liver injury by alleviating inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptotic activity, thus exerting a preventive protective effect on the liver.