Hydrogen Gas Protects Baby Rat Brains from Anesthesia Damage
- Authors
- Yiwei Shi, Gang Wang, Jinyuan Li, Wenli Yu
- Journal
- Neuroreport
- Year
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000899
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Anesthesia Neurotoxicity
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas may protect baby rats' brains from the harmful effects of a common anesthetic that can cause learning and memory problems.
Key Finding
In newborn rats, hydrogen gas reduced memory and learning problems caused by sevoflurane anesthesia by suppressing inflammatory responses in the brain.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen gas could protect newborn rats' brains from damage caused by sevoflurane, a common anesthetic used during surgery. Researchers exposed newborn rats to sevoflurane with or without hydrogen gas, then tested their memory and learning abilities 10 weeks later. Rats that received hydrogen gas along with the anesthetic showed better memory and learning than those who received the anesthetic alone, and the hydrogen gas reduced inflammation-related molecules in their brains.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen gas may have protective effects against anesthetic-related brain damage in developing brains. However, this research was conducted only in rats, not humans, so it's unclear whether these results would apply to human infants. Much more research, including human studies, would be needed before hydrogen gas could be considered a clinical strategy for protecting children during anesthesia.
Abstract
Anesthesia neurotoxicity in developing brain has gained increasing attention. However, knowledge regarding its mitigating strategies remains scant. Sevoflurane, a commonly used anesthetic, is responsible for learning and memory deficits in neonates. Molecular hydrogen is reported to be a potential neuroprotective agent because of its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hydrogen gas on sevoflurane neurotoxicity. The newborn rats were treated with sevoflurane and/or hydrogen gas for 2 h. Spatial recognition memory and fear memory were determined by Y-maze and fear conditioning tests at 10 weeks of age. Nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and proinflammatory cytokine levels were detected using western blot analysis. The data showed that the spatial recognition memory and fear memory of the rats treated with sevoflurane decreased compared with the control, and the cognitive function of the rats treated with sevoflurane and hydrogen gas significantly increased in comparison with treatment with sevoflurane alone. Moreover, hydrogen gas suppressed NF-κB phosphorylation and nuclear translocation and reduced the production of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α following sevoflurane administration. Thus, the results proposed that hydrogen gas might protect against sevoflurane neurotoxicity by inhibiting NF-κB activation and proinflammatory cytokine release, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for anesthesia neurotoxicity.