Hydrogen Gas Protects Blood Vessels During Shock in Rats
1.2% Hydrogen gas inhalation protects the endothelial glycocalyx during hemorrhagic shock: a prospective laboratory study in rats
Research hubs: Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Tsunehisa Sato, Soichiro Mimuro, Takasumi Katoh, Tadayoshi Kurita, Sang Kien Truong, Kensuke Kobayashi, Hiroshi Makino, Matsuyuki Doi, Yoshiki Nakajima
- Journal
- Journal of Anesthesia
- Year
- 2020
- PMID
- 31997005
- Study Type
- Rat
- Participants
- 83
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 1.2% H2 inhalation during hemorrhagic shock (60 min shock period followed by resuscitation)
- H₂ concentration
- 1.2% H2 gas and 3.0% H2 gas
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 12 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Breathing in a low concentration of hydrogen gas helped protect blood vessel linings and increased survival time in rats experiencing severe blood loss.
Key Finding
Rats inhaling 1.2% hydrogen gas during hemorrhagic shock had significantly thicker endothelial glycocalyx and survived about 81 minutes longer than control rats, though this was a laboratory study in animals, not humans.
Summary
In this rat study, researchers investigated whether inhaling hydrogen gas could protect the endothelial glycocalyx (a protective layer lining blood vessels) during severe blood loss. Rats that inhaled 1.2% hydrogen gas and experienced simulated hemorrhagic shock had thicker protective layers on their blood vessels, lower levels of a marker indicating vessel damage, and survived longer than rats that did not receive hydrogen gas. Interestingly, a higher concentration of hydrogen (3.0%) did not produce the same benefits, suggesting that the dose matters.
Practical Takeaway
While this rat study suggests hydrogen gas inhalation may protect blood vessel linings during severe shock, it is an animal-only study and cannot be directly applied to humans. The finding that 1.2% hydrogen worked better than 3.0% suggests concentration matters, but much more research—including human studies—would be needed before any clinical recommendations could be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
Purpose Hydrogen gas (H2) inhalation improved the survival rate of hemorrhagic shock. However, its mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that H2 protected the endothelial glycocalyx during hemorrhagic shock and prolonged survival time. Methods 83 Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized…