Hydrogen Gas Dramatically Improves Stroke Survival in Mice Study
Effect of Hydrogen Gas on the Survival Rate of Mice Following Global Cerebral Ischemia.
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Kimihiro Nagatani, Kojiro Wada, Satoru Takeuchi, Hiroaki Kobayashi, Yoichi Uozumi, Naoki Otani, Masanori Fujita, Shoichi Tachibana, Hiroshi Nawashiro
- Journal
- Shock
- Year
- 2012
- PMID
- 22392146
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Participants
- 160
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 1.3% H2 gas following 45-min bilateral common carotid artery occlusion, assessed at 7 days post-injury
- H₂ concentration
- 1.3% H2
- Duration
- 1 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 59 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Breathing hydrogen gas significantly increased survival and reduced brain damage in mice after a stroke caused by lack of blood flow to the brain.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas treatment increased the 7-day survival rate of mice with global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury from 8.3% to 50%, while also reducing brain damage and swelling.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen gas could help mice survive a type of brain injury caused by temporarily cutting off blood flow to the brain. They found that mice treated with hydrogen gas had much higher survival rates (50%) compared to untreated mice (8.3%) seven days after the injury. The hydrogen gas appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals that damage brain cells, and it also reduced brain swelling.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen gas may help protect the brain after stroke-like injuries in mice. However, these results are from mice only and do not yet tell us whether hydrogen gas would be safe or effective in humans. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about its potential use in stroke treatment.
Abstract (excerpt)
Global cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) often result in high mortality. Free radicals have been reported to play an important role in global cerebral I/R, and therefore, reduction of these might improve the outcome. Here, we investigated the effect of hydrogen gas (H2) (a strong free radical…