Quantification of hydrogen production by intestinal bacteria that are specifically dysregulated in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Oral administration of hydrogen water ameliorates Parkinson’s disease (PD) in rats, mice, and humans. We previously reported that the number of putative hydrogen-producing bacte- ria in intestinal microbiota is low in PD compared to controls. We also reported that the amount of hydrogen produced by ingestion of lactulose is low in PD patients. The decreased hydrogen production by intestinal microbiota may be associated with the development and progression of PD. We measured the amount of hydrogen production using gas chromatog- raphy by seven bacterial strains, which represented seven major intestinal bacterial groups/ genera/species. Blautia coccoides and Clostridium leptum produced the largest amount of hydrogen. Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis constituted the second group that pro- duced hydrogen 34- to 93-fold lower than B. coccoides. Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum and Atopobium parvulum constituted the third group that produced hydrogen 559- to 2164- fold lower than B. coccoides. Lactobacillus casei produced no detectable hydrogen. Assum- ing that taxonomically neighboring strains have similar hydrogen production, we simulated hydrogen production using intestinal microbiota that we previously reported, and found that PD patients produce a 2.2-fold lower amount of intestinal hydrogen compared to controls. The lower amount of intestinal hydrogen production in PD was also simulated in cohorts of two other countries. The number of hydrogen-producing intestinal bacteria may be associ- ated with the development and progression of PD. Further studies are required to prove its beneficial effect.

Study details

Article type

Original Research

Disease / injury model

Parkinson's disease (human microbiome simulation)

Dose comparison

No dose/concentration comparison; focus was on hydrogen production capacity per strain.

Dose-dependent effect

No

Outcome

Negative

Findings

Hydrogen production by intestinal bacteria is significantly lower in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients compared to controls, with a 2.2-fold reduction estimated. The most abundant hydrogen producers (Blautia coccoides and Clostridium leptum) are decreased in PD, while Lactobacillus (which does not produce hydrogen) is increased. This dysregulation may be associated with the development and progression of PD.