Hydrogen Gas Protects Brain from Injury in Animal Study
- Authors
- Xituan Ji, Wenbo Liu, Keliang Xie, Weiping Liu, Yan Qu, Xiaodong Chao, Tao Chen, Jun Zhou, Zhou Fei
- Journal
- Brain Research
- Year
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.07.038
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas can help reduce brain damage and improve recovery in rats after a traumatic brain injury.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation significantly reduced brain injury in rats with traumatic brain injury, decreasing brain swelling, lesion size, and neurological dysfunction while protecting the blood-brain barrier.
Summary
Researchers exposed rats with traumatic brain injury to hydrogen gas (2% concentration) for up to 5 hours after injury and measured the damage to their brains. Hydrogen gas treatment reduced brain swelling, decreased the breakdown of the barrier that protects the brain, improved neurological function, and reduced the size of injured areas. These protective effects appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals and boosting the brain's natural antioxidant defenses.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen gas may help protect the brain after traumatic injury by reducing oxidative stress. However, this is early-stage animal research; human trials would be needed to determine if these benefits apply to people with brain injuries. The study does not establish safe or effective doses for human use.
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability among the young population. It has been shown that hydrogen gas (H(2)) exerts a therapeutic antioxidant activity by selectively reducing hydroxyl radical (OH, the most cytotoxic ROS). Recently, we have found that H(2) inhalation significantly improved the survival rate and organ damage of septic mice. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of H(2) therapy on brain edema, blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, neurological dysfunction and injury volume in TBI-challenged rats. In addition, we investigated the effects of H(2) treatment on the changes of oxidative products and antioxidant enzymes in brain tissue of TBI-challenged rats. Hydrogen treatment was given by exposure to 2% H(2) from 5 min to 5h after sham or TBI operation, respectively. Here, we found that TBI-challenged rats showed significant brain injuries characterized by the increase of BBB permeability, brain edema and lesion volume as well as neurological dysfunction, which was significantly attenuated by 2% H(2) treatment. In addition, we found that the decrease of oxidative products and the increase of endogenous antioxidant enzymatic activities in the brain tissue may be associated with the protective effects of H(2) treatment in TBI-challenged rats. The present study supports that H(2) inhalation may be a more effective therapeutic strategy for patients with TBI.