Hydrogen Gas Therapy Improves Survival After Brain Hemorrhage in Rats
Hydrogen gas therapy improves survival rate and neurological deficits in subarachnoid hemorrhage rats: a pilot study
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
- JohnH Zhang, Richard Camara, Nathanael Matei, Justin Camara, Budbazar Enkhjargal, Jiping Tang
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2019
- PMID
- 31249255
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- 66% H2 gas at 3 L/min for 2 hours at 0.5, 8, and 18 hours after SAH
- H₂ concentration
- 66% H2 gas
- Duration
- 3 days
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 16 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- United States
TL;DR
High dose hydrogen gas treatment significantly increased survival rates and improved brain function in rats after a brain hemorrhage.
Key Finding
High-dose hydrogen gas therapy administered within 18 hours of brain hemorrhage increased 72-hour survival rates and reduced neurological damage in rats.
Summary
This study tested whether hydrogen gas could help rats survive and recover from subarachnoid hemorrhage, a type of brain bleed. Researchers gave rats high-dose hydrogen gas (66% concentration) for 2 hours at different time points after the injury. The treatment improved survival rates at 72 hours and reduced brain damage, likely by reducing harmful chemical reactions, inflammation, and cell death in the brain.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen gas may have protective effects in brain hemorrhage, but it does not yet tell us whether this would work in humans. Much more research, including human clinical trials, would be needed before any health claims could be made. The study's findings are promising enough to warrant further investigation, but current evidence is limited to rats.
Abstract (excerpt)
The high morbidity, high mortality, and significant shortage of effective therapies for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have created an urgency to discover novel therapies. Human studies in Asia have established the safety of hydrogen gas in the treatment of hepatic, renal, pulmonary, and cardiac…