Hydrogen Saline Protects Brain from Stroke Damage in Rats
- Authors
- Ying Liu, Wenwu Liu, Xuejun Sun, Runping Li, Qiang Sun, Jianmei Cai, Zhimin Kang, Shijun Lv, John H. Zhang, Wei Zhang
- Journal
- Medical Gas Research
- Year
- 2011
- DOI
- 10.1186/2045-9912-1-15
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Ischemic Stroke
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Injecting hydrogen saline into rats after a stroke reduces brain damage and improves recovery.
Key Finding
Hydrogen saline administered within 6 hours after a stroke reduced brain damage, swelling, and improved neurological function in rats by decreasing oxidative stress and inflammation.
Summary
Researchers tested hydrogen saline (a salt solution containing dissolved hydrogen gas) in rats that had a stroke caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. When given within 6 hours after the stroke, hydrogen saline reduced brain damage, swelling, and improved neurological function by decreasing harmful molecules (oxidative stress) and inflammation in the brain.
Practical Takeaway
This early-stage animal study suggests hydrogen saline may have potential as a stroke treatment, but it is a rat study only and does not yet demonstrate effects in humans. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before any clinical recommendations could be made.
Abstract
Hydrogen gas is neuroprotective in cerebral ischemia animal models. In this study, we tested the neuroprotective effects of hydrogen saline, which is safe and easy to use clinically, in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Sprague-Dawley male rats weighting 250-280 g were divided into sham, MCAO plus hydrogen saline and MCAO groups, and subjected to 90-min ischemia followed by 24 h of reperfusion. Hydrogen saline was injected intraperitoneally at 1 ml/100 g body weight. Infarct volume and brain water content were evaluated at different time points after reperfusion. Oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptotic cell death markers were measured. Hydrogen saline significantly reduced the infarct volume and edema and improved the neurological function, when it was administered at 0, 3 and 6 h after reperfusion. Hydrogen saline decreased 8-hydroxyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), reduced malondidehyde, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and suppressed caspase 3 activity in the ischemic brain. These findings demonstrated hydrogen saline is neuroprotective when administered within 6 h after ischemia. Because hydrogen saline is safe and easy to use, it has clinical potentials to reduce neurological injuries.