Hydrogen Gas Protects Brain After Stroke by Reducing Cell Death
- Authors
- Zheng Peng, Xiao-Jian Li, Yan Zhou, Jia-Tong Zhang, Qi Zhu, Jia-Qing Sun, Chun-Hua Hang, Wei Li, Qing-Rong Zhang, Zong Zhuang
- Journal
- Free Radical Biology and Medicine
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.02.028
- Study Type
- Mouse
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Breathing hydrogen gas can help protect the brain and improve recovery after a type of stroke known as subarachnoid hemorrhage by reducing brain cell death and inflammation.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas improved motor function, sensory function, and cognitive ability in mice after subarachnoid hemorrhage, while reducing harmful nerve cell damage and brain inflammation.
Summary
This study examined whether hydrogen gas could protect the brain after a type of stroke called subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding in the space around the brain). Researchers exposed mice to hydrogen gas and found that it improved their movement, sensation, and memory after the stroke. Hydrogen appeared to work by reducing harmful iron-related damage to nerve cells and decreasing brain inflammation.
Practical Takeaway
This early research in mice suggests hydrogen may have protective effects for brain injury from hemorrhagic stroke, but these are animal-only findings with unknown study duration and sample size. Human clinical trials would be needed before any conclusions about hydrogen's usefulness for stroke patients could be drawn.
Abstract (excerpt)
Objective: Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), the third most common stroke subtype, is associated with high mortality and disability rates. Therefore, finding effective therapies to improve neurological function after SAH is critical. The objective of this study was to investigate…