Hydrogen Therapy Protects Memory After Surgery in Older Mice
Effects of Hydrogen-Rich Saline on Hepatectomy-Induced Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Old Mice
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (mouse)
- Authors
- Yue Tian, Shanbin Guo, Yan Zhang, Ying Xu, Ping Zhao, Xiaochun Zhao
- Journal
- Molecular Neurobiology
- Year
- 2017
- PMID
- 26993297
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Participants
- 96
- Delivery
- Saline (Dissolved)
- Duration
- 2 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 45 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich saline may help improve memory and learning in older mice after liver surgery by reducing brain inflammation.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline partially restored learning and memory abilities in aged mice with post-surgical cognitive dysfunction and reduced inflammatory markers in the hippocampus.
Summary
Researchers gave old mice hydrogen-rich saline (a salt solution containing hydrogen gas) after a liver surgery that typically causes memory and learning problems. The treatment partially restored the mice's ability to learn and remember spatial locations, and it reduced inflammation (swelling caused by immune response) in a brain region called the hippocampus that's important for memory. The hydrogen-rich saline appeared to work by blocking a cellular pathway called NF-κB that triggers inflammatory molecules.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage animal research showing hydrogen-rich saline may help protect memory after surgery by reducing brain inflammation. However, this was only tested in mice, not humans, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to people. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before hydrogen-rich saline could be considered a treatment for post-surgical cognitive problems in elderly patients.
Abstract (excerpt)
This study aims to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of hydrogen-rich saline on the cognitive functions of elder mice with partial hepatectomy-induced postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Ninety-six old male Kunming mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 24…