Hydrogen Gas Increases Brain Blood Flow During Cooling in Piglets
Impact of hydrogen gas inhalation during therapeutic hypothermia on cerebral hemodynamics and oxygenation in the asphyxiated piglet
Research hubs: Brain & Nervous System · Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (pig)
- Authors
- Shinji Nakamura, Yasuhiro Nakao, Yinmon Htun, Tsutomu Mitsuie, Kosuke Koyano, Aya Morimoto, Yukihiko Konishi, Makoto Arioka, Sonoko Kondo, Ikuko Kato, Ken-ichi Ohta, Saneyuki Yasuda, Takanori Miki, Masaki Ueno, Takashi Kusaka
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Year
- 2023
- PMID
- 36709361
- Study Type
- Pig
- Participants
- 26
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- H2 gas ventilation for 24 hours after hypoxic-ischemic insult
- H₂ concentration
- 2.1–2.7%
- Duration
- 1 day or less
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 13 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- Japan
TL;DR
Adding hydrogen gas to cooling therapy improves blood flow in the brains of piglets with brain damage from lack of oxygen.
Key Finding
Combining hydrogen gas inhalation with therapeutic cooling increased cerebral blood volume and altered oxygen saturation patterns in asphyxiated piglets, suggesting enhanced blood flow to support brain cell survival.
Summary
Researchers studied whether adding hydrogen gas to a cooling treatment could help piglet brains recover from oxygen deprivation. They measured blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain for 24 hours after injury. Piglets that received both hydrogen gas and cooling showed increased blood flow to the brain and different oxygen patterns compared to those receiving cooling alone, suggesting the hydrogen may have helped the brain use more oxygen to protect surviving nerve cells.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study in piglets with brain injury from oxygen deprivation—not a study of healthy people or hydrogen water consumption. While the results suggest hydrogen gas combined with cooling therapy may improve blood flow to injured brains, much more research in humans would be needed before any health applications could be considered. This finding does not apply to drinking hydrogen water or other forms of hydrogen use.
Abstract (excerpt)
Abstract We previously reported the neuroprotective potential of combined hydrogen (H 2 ) gas ventilation therapy and therapeutic hypothermia (TH) by assessing the short-term neurological outcomes and histological findings of 5-day neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy piglets. However…