Hydrogen Therapy Reduces Nerve Pain in Rats by Fighting Inflammation
Hydrogen-rich saline attenuated neuropathic pain by reducing oxidative stress
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Qianbo Chen, Ping Chen, Shuangqiong Zhou, Xiaodi Yan, John Zhang, Xuejun Sun, Hongbin Yuan, Wei-Feng Yu
- Journal
- Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques
- Year
- 2013
- PMID
- 24257230
- Study Type
- Rat
- Participants
- 30
- Delivery
- Saline (Dissolved)
- Dose
- 100 µL/kg intrathecal injection once daily, starting 0.5 hours before CCI surgery and continuing for 7 days post-surgery
- Duration
- 2 weeks
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 19 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Injecting hydrogen-rich saline into the spine reduces nerve pain and stress from harmful oxygen molecules in rats.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline reduced neuropathic pain in injured rats by decreasing oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) and suppressing pain-related proteins in the spinal cord.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich saline (a salt solution containing dissolved hydrogen gas) could reduce nerve pain in rats with a specific type of nerve injury. They found that rats receiving hydrogen-rich saline injections into their spinal fluid experienced reduced pain sensitivity and had lower levels of harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species in their spinal cords, compared to rats that received regular saline.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing hydrogen-rich saline may help with nerve pain by reducing cellular damage. However, the study was conducted only in rats using direct spinal injection—a method not yet tested in humans—so it's unclear whether similar benefits would occur with other delivery methods or in people with neuropathic pain.
Abstract (excerpt)
Background:Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are often associated with persistent pains such as neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Hydrogen gas can reduce ROS and alleviate cerebral, myocardial, and hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injuries. In the present study, we aim to investigate whether hydrogen-rich…