Research on the inhibitory effect of hydrogen gas on ovarian cancer and potential mechanisms

Ovarian cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies in women worldwide; current treatment approaches still struggle to effectively control tumor progression. Therefore, it is imperative to explore novel and more effective therapeutic approaches. Hydrogen shows promise as a novel adjuvant therapy, offering new perspectives for ovarian cancer treatment. This study primarily investigates the effects of hydrogen on SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line viability, apoptosis, migration, invasion, MDA, SOD levels, and key regulatory proteins through experiments including CCK-8, flow cytometry, scratch assay, Transwell assay, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and ELISA. HE staining, TUNEL, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and ELISA were used to verify the antitumor effects of hydrogen in vivo. The results showed that hydrogen inhibited cell viability, migration, and invasion, promoted apoptosis, and induced G1/G2 phase arrest in SKOV3 cells. Additionally, hydrogen promoted ROS production, downregulated the expression of HIF-1α, NF-κB p65, and P-p65 proteins, decreased SOD levels, and increased MDA levels. The results of animal experiments showed that the tumor weight and volume in the hydrogen group were significantly smaller than those in the control group. At the same time, hydrogen promoted tumor cell apoptosis, reduced the levels of angiogenesis markers within the tumor, lowered the protein levels of HIF-1α and p65, increased MDA levels, and decreased SOD levels. Hydrogen provides a new approach for the treatment of ovarian cancer.