Hydrogen Water Protects Brain After Stroke in Rat Study
Hydrogen-Rich Saline Attenuated Subarachnoid Hemorrhage-Induced Early Brain Injury in Rats by Suppressing Inflammatory Response: Possible Involvement of NF-κB Pathway and NLRP3 Inflammasome
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- Anwen Shao, Haijian Wu, Yuan Hong, Sheng Tu, Xuejun Sun, Qun Wu, Qiong Zhao, Jianmin Zhang, Jifang Sheng
- Journal
- Molecular Neurobiology
- Year
- 2015
- DOI
- 10.1007/s12035-015-9242-y
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Body System
- Neurological
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
TL;DR
A treatment with hydrogen-rich saline may reduce brain inflammation and damage after a type of stroke known as subarachnoid hemorrhage by interfering with specific inflammatory pathways.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline reduced inflammation and brain cell death in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by blocking two key inflammatory pathways (NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome).
Summary
Researchers gave rats with a type of brain bleeding called subarachnoid hemorrhage an injection of hydrogen-rich saline (salt water containing dissolved hydrogen gas). Within 24 hours of the bleeding, the hydrogen treatment reduced inflammation and cell death in the brain by blocking two specific inflammatory pathways (NF-κB and NLRP3). The treated rats showed less brain damage compared to rats that didn't receive the hydrogen treatment.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study provides early mechanistic evidence that hydrogen-rich saline may help protect the brain after certain types of bleeding by reducing inflammation. However, this is animal research only, and it's unclear whether these results would apply to humans or whether the same dose and delivery method would be effective in people. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before hydrogen-rich saline could be considered a treatment for brain injury.
Abstract (excerpt)
Early brain injury (EBI), highlighted with inflammation and apoptosis, occurring within 72 h after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), is associated with the prognosis of SAH. Recent studies have revealed that hydrogen-rich saline (HS) exerted multiple neuroprotective properties in many neurological…