Hydrogen Gas Helps Brain Recovery After Injury in Diabetic Rats
- Authors
- Ting-Ting Li, Wan-Chao Yang, Yue-Zhen Wang, Tian Sun, Hong-Ling Cao, Jian-Feng Chen, Wen-Zhi Li
- Journal
- Brain Research
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146651
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Breathing in high levels of hydrogen gas can help improve brain function and reduce damage after a traumatic brain injury in diabetic rats.
Key Finding
High-concentration hydrogen gas (42%) significantly improved neurological outcomes and reduced brain damage markers in diabetic rats with traumatic brain injury, while low-concentration hydrogen (3%) showed no benefit.
Summary
Researchers studied whether inhaled hydrogen gas could help rats with both diabetes and traumatic brain injury (a severe head injury). They tested two different concentrations of hydrogen gas and found that high-concentration hydrogen (42%) reduced brain swelling, decreased harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, and improved neurological function, while low-concentration hydrogen (3%) had no significant effect.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting that high-concentration hydrogen gas inhalation may help with brain injury recovery in diabetic individuals, but the findings cannot yet be applied to humans. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before this could be considered a viable treatment approach.
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species, inflammation, and apoptosis are major contributors to secondary injuries that follow traumatic brain injury (TBI) in diabetic patients. Hydrogen (H2) can selectively neutralize reactive oxygen species and downregulate inflammatory and apoptotic factors. Therefore, we investigated the effects of inhaled high and low concentrations of hydrogen on neurological function after TBI in diabetic rats and the potential mechanism. We found that the inhalation of high concentrations of H2 significantly improved outcomes following TBI in diabetic rats. The inhalation of 42% H2 for one hour per day for 48 h significantly reduced brain edema, decreased the extravasation of sodium fluorescein, and reduced oxidative stress markers (p < 0.05). In addition, the inhalation of a high concentration of H2 (42% for one hour per day for 7 days) improved neurological deficits (p < 0.05) and reduced the expression of apoptotic protein markers (p < 0.05). However, the inhalation of 3% H2 did not yield significant effects. These results showed that the inhalation of 42% H2 can alleviate nerve damage and improve neurological function after TBI in diabetic rats. Therefore, the inhalation of a high concentration of H2 may be associated with the treatment of traumatic brain injuries.