Malproduction of endogenous hydrogen gas in COVID-19

Abstract

The molecular footprints of COVID-19 occur everywhere, even reaching the family of biologically active gases and gasotransmitters. Besides nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, COVID-19 might also alter the homeostasis of dihydrogen (H2), another gaseous bioactive molecule produced endogenously by the human gut bacteria. Many studies have shown various alterations of the gut microbiota in patients with coronavirus disease 2019, including the lower abundance of hydrogen-producing bacteria that could instigate the shortage of hydrogen output. Since dihydrogen has many important bioactivities, including cytoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic, its malproduction in COVID-19 might contribute to the disease progression and severity. On the other hand, replenishing dihydrogen by exogenous administration could be beneficial in COVID-19 for both patient- and clinical-reported outcomes. Assessing low dihydrogen along with H2 supplementation to restore normal levels could be thus combined via theranostic approaches to aid COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment.

Study details

Article type

Hypothesis

Disease / injury model

COVID-19

Dose-dependent effect

No

Outcome

Positive

Findings

COVID-19 is associated with a reduction in endogenous hydrogen gas (H2) production due to gut dysbiosis and decreased abundance of hydrogen-producing bacteria. This malproduction may contribute to disease progression and severity, while exogenous H2 administration shows potential benefits in preliminary trials for improving clinical outcomes and reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.