Hydrogen Therapy Shows Promise for Brain-Injured Newborns
- Authors
- Ferenc Domoki
- Journal
- Current Pharmaceutical Design
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.2174/1381612826666201113095720
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Hungary
- Health Condition
- Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
A gas called hydrogen might help protect babies' brains from damage caused by lack of oxygen at birth, and it works by reducing swelling and cell death in the brain. Scientists think hydrogen could be used alongside the current treatment (cooling) to help even more babies recover, but they need to do more studies to prove it actually works better when combined together.
Key Finding
Hydrogen showed consistent neuroprotective effects across multiple animal models of neonatal brain injury, primarily through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic (cell-death-preventing) mechanisms.
Summary
This review examined research on molecular hydrogen as a potential treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a serious brain injury in newborns caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow. Studies in animal models showed that hydrogen protected brain cells and improved brain function through three main mechanisms: reducing harmful oxidative stress (cellular damage from reactive molecules), preventing cell death, and reducing inflammation. A key advantage is that hydrogen appeared effective even when given after the injury occurred, which is more practical for real-world treatment.
Practical Takeaway
While animal studies suggest hydrogen may help protect newborn brains from oxygen deprivation injury, this is a review of preclinical research only—no human trials have been conducted yet. The review notes that whether hydrogen adds benefit to the current standard treatment (therapeutic cooling) remains unknown, and human studies would be needed before hydrogen could be considered for clinical use in HIE.
Abstract
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains to be a major cause of morbidity, mortality and severe neurodevelopmental disability in term neonates. Moderate whole body hypothermia is an established, effective neuroprotective therapy to reduce mortality and long-term disability associated with HIE, however, research for adjunct therapies is still warranted to complement the effect of hypothermia. In the last decade, molecular hydrogen emerged as a simple, available, inexpensive substance with advantageous pharmacokinetics to ameliorate hypoxic-ischemic cellular damage. The present review examines the preclinical studies employing hydrogen to combat the deleterious consequences of hypoxic-ischemic insults in rodent and piglet HIE models. Hydrogen exerted unequivocal neuroprotective actions shown by preserved neurovascular function, neuronal viability, and neurocognitive functions in virtually all model species and hypoxic-ischemic insult types tested. Administration of hydrogen started in most studies after the hypoxic-ischemic insult enhancing the translational value of the findings. Among the explored mechanisms of hydrogen-induced neuroprotection, antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects appeared to be dominant. Unfortunately, additive neuroprotective effect of hydrogen and therapeutic hypothermia have not yet been demonstrated, thus such studies are warranted to promote the clinical testing of molecular hydrogen as an adjunct neuroprotective treatment of HIE.