Hydrogen and Magnesium Combo Therapy Safe for Brain Hemorrhage Treatment
- Authors
- Satoshi Tomura, Kazuya Fujii, Hideaki Ueno, Arata Tomiyama, Naoki Otani, Hideo Osada, Kojiro Wada, Kentaro Mori
- Journal
- Journal of the National Defense Medical College
- Year
- 2014
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- Japan
- Health Condition
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
A combination treatment using magnesium and hydrogen-enriched fluids was safe and did not negatively affect the vital signs or body functions of rats, even after a brain hemorrhage.
Key Finding
Combination therapy with intracisternal magnesium sulfate and intravenous hydrogen-enriched fluid produced no adverse effects on physiological parameters (blood gases, intracranial pressure, blood pressure, temperature) in rats.
Summary
Researchers tested a combination treatment in rats that involved injecting magnesium sulfate directly into the fluid surrounding the brain and giving hydrogen-enriched fluid intravenously (through the vein). They measured whether this treatment affected important body functions like blood oxygen levels, brain pressure, blood pressure, and temperature in both healthy rats and rats with a type of brain injury called subarachnoid hemorrhage. The treatment did not cause any harmful changes to these physiological measurements or visible damage to brain tissue.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests the combination treatment is physiologically safe and does not harm normal body functions, which is a necessary first step before testing in humans. However, this is an early-stage animal study that only examined safety, not whether the treatment actually works to prevent brain injury in people. Much more research, including human trials, would be needed before any conclusions could be drawn about therapeutic benefits.
Abstract
Combination therapy of intracisternal (ic) infusion of magnesium sulfate solution and intravenous (iv) injection of hydrogen-enriched fluid can provide protection against delayed ischemic neurological deficits after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, the effects of this therapy on physiological parameters in vivo remain unclear. In this study, the effects of combination therapy were investigated on the physiological parameters of normal and experimental SAH model rats. SAH was induced by 0.1 mL autologous blood injection into the cisterna magna 24 hours prior to combination therapy. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received simultaneous ic infusion and iv injection as follows: control group, ic infusion of lactated Ringer solution and iv injection of glucose-electrolyte solution (SOLDEM1®); Mg group, ic infusion of magnesium sulfate solution and iv injection of SOLDEM1®; and Mg+H2 and SAH groups, ic infusion of magnesium sulfate solution and iv injection of hydrogen-enriched fluid. Blood gases, intracranial pressure, blood pressure, and rectal temperature were measured. The physiological values were all within normal ranges and no significant changes were found in all groups. No particular histological findings were observed. Combination therapy of ic infusion of magnesium and iv administration of hydrogen has no harmful effect on the physiological parameters of rats.