Hydrogen extends Caenorhabditis elegans longevity by reducing reactive oxygen species

At present, a large number of studies have reported that hydrogen has antioxidant functions and prevents oxidative stress damage. However, it is not clear whether hydrogen can prolong longevity based on these effects. Therefore, we studied and explored the antiaging potential of exogenous hydrogen and its ability to extend longevity using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as an animal model. Our results showed that the lifespans of the N2, sod-3 and sod-5 mutant strains were extended by approximately 22.7%, 9.5%, and 8.7%, respectively, after hydrogen treatment, but hydrogen had no effect on the lifespans of the daf-2 and daf-16 mutant strains. Meanwhile, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the hydrogen treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group. At the transcript level, the expression of age-1 and let-363 was obviously decreased, while the expression of ins-18 was increased at the same time point (14 d). Compared with the control group, paraquat (PQ) could reduce the lifespan of the N2 and sod-5 mutant strains. Importantly, the longevity of these mutant strains recovered to normal levels when the animals were treated with exogenous hydrogen. According to these results, the lifespan of C. elegans is closely related to oxidative stress and can be significantly prolonged by reducing oxidative stress damage. Taken together, our data showed that hydrogen is a valuable antioxidant that can significantly reduce the body’s ROS levels and extend the lifespan of C. elegans. This study also laid a foundation for the subsequent application of hydrogen in antiaging studies.