Hydrogen Water Protects Brain Function After Radiation Therapy
- Authors
- Mengya Liu, Hui Yuan, Jingjing Yin, Ruoqi Wang, Jianbo Song, Bo Hu, Jianguo Li, Xiujun Qin
- Journal
- Radiation Research
- Year
- 2019
- DOI
- 10.1667/RR15464.1
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Radiation-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water (HRW) appears to protect rats' brains from the negative effects of radiation, improving their memory and brain health.
Key Finding
In rats exposed to high-dose brain radiation, hydrogen-rich water treatment improved memory performance and reduced markers of cellular damage in the brain.
Summary
Researchers gave rats a high dose of brain radiation to damage their memory and thinking abilities, then treated some rats with hydrogen-rich water (water containing extra hydrogen gas) before and after radiation. Rats that received hydrogen-rich water performed better on memory tests and showed signs of less cellular damage and better brain cell growth compared to rats that only received regular water.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen-rich water may protect against radiation-related cognitive damage, but this is early-stage animal research. Much more work—including human clinical trials—would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about its usefulness for people undergoing radiation therapy. The findings are interesting but not yet applicable to human health decisions.
Abstract
The goal of this work was to determine whether hydrogen-rich water (HRW) could attenuate radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction in rats and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Rats received 30 Gy whole-brain irradiation using a 6-MeV electron beam. Either purified water or HRW (0.8-0.9 ppm) was administrated at 10 min prior to irradiation, as well as a daily HRW treatment after irradiation for 30 consecutive days. The Morris water maze was used to test spatial memory in the rats. The concentration of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and the super-oxidedismutase (SOD) activity in cerebral cortex, as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level in serum, were measured. Immunofluorescence staining was adopted to detect proliferating cells. The expression of BDNF-TrkB pathway-related genes and proteins were detected using qRT-PCR and Western blot. Models of cognitive dysfunction were successfully established using a 30 Gy dose of ionizing radiation. Compared to the radiation treated group, the radiation-HRW treated group showed significantly decreased escape latency (P < 0.05), but increased retention time, swimming distance of original platform quadrant (P < 0.05) and number of platform crossings (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the SOD, GSH (P < 0.05) and BDNF (P < 0.05) levels in the radiation-HRW treated group were higher compared to the radiation treated group. The MDA and 8-OHdG levels (P < 0.05) were decreased in the radiation-HRW treated group when compared to the radiation treated group. Additionally, treatment with HRW increased the number of BrdU+NeuN+ cells in the radiation treated group. The mRNA and protein levels of BDNF and TrkB (P < 0.05) in radiation-HRW treated group was higher than that in the radiation treated group. Collectively, our study indicates that HRW has a protective effect on radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction, and that the possible mechanisms mainly involve anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory reactions, and its protection of newborn neurons by regulating the BDNF-TrkB signaling pathway.