Hydrogen Gas Reduces Brain Damage After Stroke in Rats
Hydrogen gas inhalation improves delayed brain injury by alleviating early brain injury after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage
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
- Kosuke Kumagai, Terushige Toyooka, Satoru Takeuchi, Naoki Otani, Kojiro Wada, Arata Tomiyama, Kentaro Mori
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2020
- PMID
- 32704088
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 1.3% H2 gas inhalation on days 0 and 1; day 0: 2 hours starting from anesthesia induction; day 1: 30 minutes starting from anesthesia induction
- H₂ concentration
- 1.3% H2 gas
- Duration
- 1 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 29 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Breathing in hydrogen gas helped reduce brain damage and improve recovery after a type of stroke in rats, but it didn't help with narrowing of the brain's blood vessels.
Key Finding
Hydrogen gas inhalation reduced early brain injury markers (including brain swelling and cell death) and improved neurological outcomes in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage, though it did not prevent cerebral vasospasm (blood vessel narrowing).
Summary
This study tested whether inhaling hydrogen gas could protect rat brains from injury after a type of stroke called subarachnoid hemorrhage. Researchers gave rats hydrogen gas inhalation on the first two days after the stroke and measured brain damage at different time points. Hydrogen gas reduced early brain swelling, decreased markers of brain cell stress, and improved neurological function compared to control rats, though it did not prevent blood vessel narrowing that sometimes occurs after this type of stroke.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study suggesting hydrogen gas may have neuroprotective properties in stroke-related brain injury. However, these results are from rats only and do not yet indicate whether hydrogen would be effective or safe in humans with stroke. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before any therapeutic claims could be made.
Abstract (excerpt)
Molecular hydrogen (H2) protect neurons against reactive oxygen species and ameliorates early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This study investigated the effect of H2 on delayed brain injury (DBI) using the rat SAH + unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) model…