Microfactories for Intracellular Locally Generated Hydrogen Therapy: Advanced Materials, Challenges, and Opportunities

Hydrogen therapy has attracted increasing attention in clinical/preclinical studies as an emerging and promising therapy technique owing to its selective antioxidative properties. Microfactories for intracellular local hydrogen production are an efficient intracellular hydrogen delivery system with targeted, controlled, and sustained release. In this Minireview, recently developed materials, technologies, and strategies for locally generated hydrogen therapy are summarized. Different driving forces including ultrasound, light, and chemical reactions are critical to the in situ production of hydrogen for the hydrogen therapy process. The therapeutic mechanisms and effectiveness of this locally generated hydrogen were evaluated based on the type of disease models, with an emphasis on tissue inflammation and cancer. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities of constructing these microfactories for locally generated hydrogen therapy are discussed.