Hydrogen Water Protects Against Brain Injury in Rat Study
- Authors
- Jia Yuan, Difen Wang, Ying Liu, Xianjun Chen, Hailing Zhang, Feng Shen, Xu Liu, Jiangquan Fu
- Journal
- Journal of Surgical Research
- Year
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jss.2018.03.024
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Drinking hydrogen-rich water may help protect the brain from damage after a traumatic injury by reducing harmful oxidative stress and activating a protective protein pathway.
Key Finding
In rats with traumatic brain injury, hydrogen-rich water reduced oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules) and activated the Nrf2 protective pathway, resulting in improved survival rates and reduced neurological deficits.
Summary
Researchers gave rats with traumatic brain injury (a serious head injury) hydrogen-rich water and compared them to injured rats that didn't receive it. They found that hydrogen-rich water reduced harmful molecules called free radicals that damage brain cells after injury, and it activated a protective protein called Nrf2 that helps cells defend themselves. Rats treated with hydrogen-rich water had better survival rates and fewer neurological problems than untreated injured rats.
Practical Takeaway
This study provides early evidence that hydrogen-rich water may help protect brain cells after traumatic injury by reducing oxidative stress. However, this research was conducted only in rats, so it's unclear whether these effects would occur in humans. More research, including human studies, would be needed before hydrogen-rich water could be considered a treatment for traumatic brain injury.
Abstract
Background: Several studies have recently found that oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may represent a target in TBI treatment. Hydrogen-rich water was recently shown to exert neuroprotective effects in various neurological diseases through its antioxidant properties. However, the mechanisms underlying its effects in TBI are not clearly understood. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the neuroprotective role of hydrogen-rich water in rats with TBI and to elucidate the possible mechanisms underlying its effects. Materials and methods: The TBI model was constructed according to the modified Feeney weight-drop method. In part 1 of the experiment, we measured oxidative stress levels by observing the changes in catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) expressions. We also evaluated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) levels to determine the role of the protein in the neuroprotective effects against TBI. In part 2, we verified the neuroprotective effects of hydrogen-rich water in TBI and observed its effects on Nrf2. All the experimental rats were divided into sham group, TBI group, and TBI + hydrogen-rich water-treated (TBI + HW) group. We randomly chose 20 rats from each group and recorded their 7-d survival rates. Modified neurological severity scores were recorded from an additional six rats per group, which were then sacrificed 24 h after testing. Spectrophotometry was used to measure GPx, CAT, and MDA levels, whereas western blotting, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of Nrf2 and downstream factors like heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Results: GPx and CAT activity was significantly decreased, and MDA content was increased in the TBI group compared with the sham group at 6 h after TBI. MDA content peaked at 24 h after TBI. Nrf2 nucleoprotein levels were upregulated in the TBI group compared with the sham group and peaked at 24 h after TBI; however, no significant changes in Nrf2 mRNA levels were noted after TBI. Hydrogen-rich water administration significantly increased 7-d survival rates, reduced neurologic deficits, and lowered intracellular oxidative stress levels. Moreover, hydrogen-rich water caused Nrf2 to enter the cell nucleus, which resulted in increases in the expression of downstream factors such as HO-1 and NQO1. Conclusions: Our results indicate that hydrogen-rich water has neuroprotective effects against TBI by reducing oxidative stress and activating the Nrf2 pathway.