Hydrogen Gas Protects Brain After Stroke by Reducing Cell Damage
Hydrogen gas ameliorates oxidative stress in early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Yan Zhan, Chunhua Chen, Hidenori Suzuki, Qin Hu, Xinggang Zhi, John H. Zhang
- Journal
- Critical Care Medicine
- Year
- 2012
- PMID
- 22336722
- Study Type
- Rat
- Participants
- 137
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 2.9% hydrogen gas inhaled for 2 hours after perforation
- H₂ concentration
- 2.9% H2 gas
- Duration
- 3 days
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 86 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Inhaling hydrogen gas shortly after a brain hemorrhage can reduce brain swelling, protect the brain, and improve recovery in rats.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced brain swelling, improved neurological function, and decreased cell death in rats with a specific type of brain injury, with effects most pronounced at 24 hours after injury.
Summary
Researchers gave rats a brain injury similar to a type of stroke, then had some breathe hydrogen gas for 2 hours. They found that hydrogen gas reduced brain swelling, improved nerve function, and decreased cell death at 24 hours after injury. The benefits appeared to work by reducing harmful molecules called free radicals that damage cells. However, these protective effects were no longer visible by 72 hours.
Practical Takeaway
This is early-stage animal research showing hydrogen gas may have protective effects immediately after certain types of brain injury. However, this was only tested in rats, not humans, and the benefits appeared temporary (lasting less than 3 days). Much more research would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about hydrogen's usefulness in human brain injury.
Abstract (excerpt)
Hydrogen gas has been demonstrated to neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress recently. Our objective was to determine the therapeutic effect of H2 inhalation and its antioxidative activity on early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Controlled in vivo laboratory study. Animal…