Hydrogen Water Protects Newborn Brain Cells from Birth Injury Damage
- Authors
- Hui Li, Hao Sun, Shiping Li, Lingyi Huang, Mingfu Zhang, Shaopu Wang, Qian Liu, Junjie Ying, Fengyan Zhao, Xiaojuan Su, Mi Dezhi, Yi Qu
- Journal
- Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1111/jcmm.18505
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water helps protect the brain cells of newborn rats from damage caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water significantly reduced brain damage in newborn rats with oxygen deprivation by protecting pericytes (specialized brain blood vessel cells) from oxidative stress through activation of the Nrf2-HO-1 antioxidant pathway.
Summary
Researchers studied whether hydrogen-rich water could protect newborn rat brains from damage caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow. They found that hydrogen-rich water reduced harmful oxidative stress (cellular damage from unstable molecules) in brain blood vessel cells called pericytes, which helped preserve brain function and reduce tissue damage. The hydrogen appeared to work by activating the body's natural antioxidant defense system.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage animal study suggests hydrogen-rich water may have protective effects against brain damage from oxygen deprivation, but it was conducted only in newborn rats and does not yet provide evidence for human use. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before any clinical applications could be considered for neonatal brain injury.
Abstract
Hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) can induce the death of cerebrovascular constituent cells through oxidative stress. Hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant which can activate the antioxidant system. A hypoxia-ischaemia brain damage (HIBD) model was established in 7-day-old SD rats. Rats were treated with different doses of hydrogen-rich water (HRW), and brain pericyte oxidative stress damage, cerebrovascular function and brain tissue damage were assessed. Meanwhile, in vitro-cultured pericytes were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation and treated with different concentrations of HRW. Oxidative injury was measured and the molecular mechanism of how HRW alleviated oxidative injury of pericytes was also examined. The results showed that HRW significantly attenuated HI-induced oxidative stress in the brain pericytes of neonatal rats, partly through the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway, further improving cerebrovascular function and reducing brain injury and dysfunction. Furthermore, HRW is superior to a single-cell death inhibitor for apoptosis, ferroptosis, parthanatos, necroptosis and autophagy and can better inhibit HI-induced pericyte death. The liver and kidney functions of rats were not affected by present used HRW dose. This study elucidates the role and mechanism of hydrogen in treating HIBD from the perspective of pericytes, providing new theoretical evidence and mechanistic references for the clinical application of hydrogen in neonatal HIE.