Using nanotechnology, the team has developed a scaffold implant that delivers hydrogen 40,000 times more efficiently than other methods such as drinking hydrogen-rich water or inhaling hydrogen gas.

According to the paper, the implant can deliver a slow and sustained release of hydrogen for up to a week, compared to the 30-minute limit on hydrogen-rich water. The study found the prolonged treatment helped repair bone defects in older mice.

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Chinas elderly are heading to retirement, heres why thats a problem

Chinas elderly are heading to retirement, heres why thats a problem

Hydrogen acts as an anti-inflammatory agent with the ability to scavenge the toxic radicals associated with ageing.

It has been found to have a universal anti-senescence impact on various cells and tissues, meaning that it helps them continue to replicate and grow.

Corresponding author He Qianjun, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told the South China Morning Post the scaffold was developed to repair bone defects in the elderly, but could one day be used for other age-related conditions and diseases, including Alzheimers.

We developed [the method] mainly based on our discovery of the broad-spectrum anti-ageing properties of hydrogen, He said, in an email to the Post.

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The scaffold had a significant effect in inducing bone growth compared to the blank scaffold that does not produce hydrogen, He said.

Senescence the gradual deterioration of bodily function as we age is one of the major causes of age-related conditions and diseases. In recent years, links have also been identified between cellular senescence and these conditions.

At a cellular level, senescence can be responsible for DNA damage and the loss of cell cycle functions like division and growth.

Cells can also secrete materials that cause inflammation, creating a senescence micro-environment that causes tissues and bones to decline in their ability to self-repair, according to the paper.

This persistent inflammation and loss of regenerative ability is a main obstacle to effective tissue repair for elderly people, the researchers said.

Existing anti-senescence treatments are unable to universally regulate the entire micro-environment, the paper said.

But the researchers found that hydrogen is able to alter the senescence micro-environment from pro-inflammation to anti-inflammation, supporting bone defect regeneration.

According to He, the hydrogen is able to remodel the senescence micro-environment during the early stage of inflammation and have a continuing effect on later bone repair.

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The implantable scaffold is biosafe, using products like metasilicate and calcium ions as well as hydrogen gas, he said.

The researchers created the scaffold with calcium disilicide nanoparticles hydrolysed to store hydrogen sprayed on to porous, bioactive glass and wrapped in a biodegradable polymer to stop it degrading and releasing the hydrogen too quickly.

The device was tested on 24-month-old mice equivalent to 70 in humans that had femoral bone defects.

The scaffold was able to release hydrogen for seven to nine days, a duration not reported for any other method, the paper said.

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The teams next challenge is to create a scaffold with an even longer period of release a development that could be even better for repair, according to He.

While more research is needed, further development of high-performance materials to deliver hydrogen is crucial.

We believe that continuous hydrogen supply will be a universal anti-ageing technology that can treat various ageing-related diseases, including preventing and treating diseases like Alzheimers, He said.

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Chinese scientists develop powerful hydrogen therapy that could reverse ageing - South China Morning Post