Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effects of hydrogen therapy on nerve function and tumor progression markers in glioma patients, focusing on the modulation of oxidative stress and cadherin expression to establish its potential as a complementary treatment.
Methods: 100 glioma patients were enrolled and divided into two groups using the random number table: routine treatment (50) and hydrogen inhalation plus routine treatment (50). After 2 weeks of treatment, clinical curative effect, levels of nerve function indexes [national institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS), central nervous specific protein (S100β), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)], oxidative stress indexes [malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT)] and E-cadherin before and after treatment, and occurrence of adverse reactions during treatment were compared between the two groups.
Results: After treatment, the overall effect of the hydrogen inhalation group (90.00%) was significantly better than that of the conventional group (72.00%), which was statistically significant (P = .022). In terms of specific biomarkers, post-treatment levels of E-cadherin were elevated to 0.84±0.05 ng/mL in the hydrogen group compared to 0.72±0.06 ng/mL in the routine group. SOD and CAT levels rose to 63.21±5.36 U/L and 8.01±0.54 U/mL, respectively, versus 52.31±5.24 U/L and 5.25±0.59 U/mL in the routine group (P < .05 for both). Conversely, the NIHSS scores decreased significantly to 12.19±2.08 in the hydrogen group, compared to 16.92±2.23 in the routine group. Similarly, S100β, NSE, GFAP, and MDA levels were found to be lower in the hydrogen group (0.41±0.09 µg/L, 8.24±1.64 ng/mL, 0.71±0.23 pg/mL, and 6.05±1.08 mmol/L respectively) than in the routine group (0.66±0.12 µg/L, 10.67±1.83 ng/mL, 0.93±0.29 pg/mL, and 7.21±1.12 mmol/L respectively) with P < .05 for all comparisons. The total incidence of adverse reactions was slightly lower in the hydrogen group (64.00%) compared to the routine group (68.00%), but this difference was not statistically significant (χ2=0.178, P = .673).
Conclusion: Hydrogen inhalation therapy significantly enhances nerve function, reduces local oxidative stress levels, and increases E-cadherin levels in patients with brain glioma, suggesting its potential as an adjunct treatment. The findings underscore the therapy's role in enhancing patient recovery and guiding future research and treatment strategies.