Hydrogen-Rich Saline Protects Brain After Injury in Rat Study
- Authors
- Xituan Ji, Ye Tian, Keliang Xie, Weiping Liu, Yan Qu, Zhou Fei
- Journal
- Journal of Surgical Research
- Year
- 2012
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jss.2011.12.038
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Hydrogen-rich saline, when injected into rats, can reduce brain damage caused by traumatic brain injury by fighting oxidative stress.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline reduced brain injury in rats in a dose-dependent manner by increasing the brain's natural antioxidant defenses and decreasing harmful oxidative damage.
Summary
Researchers gave rats with traumatic brain injury (a type of head injury) injections of hydrogen-rich saline—a saltwater solution containing dissolved hydrogen gas. The treatment reduced brain swelling, protected the blood-brain barrier (the membrane that controls what enters the brain), and improved neurological function. The protective effect appeared to work by boosting the brain's natural antioxidant defenses (molecules that protect cells from damage) and reducing harmful reactive oxygen species (unstable molecules that damage cells).
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen-rich saline may have protective potential for traumatic brain injury, but human studies are needed to determine if these effects translate to people. The findings are preliminary and limited to animal models, so no clinical recommendations can be made at this time.
Abstract
Background: Hydrogen gas (H(2)) has been considered as a novel antioxidant to selectively reduce the toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydroxyl radical (•OH) without affecting the other signal ROS. Our recent study shows that H(2) inhalation is beneficial to traumatic brain injury (TBI) via reducing oxidative stress. In contrast to H(2), hydrogen-rich saline (HS) may be more suitable for clinical application. The present study was designed to investigate whether HS has a protective effect against TBI via reducing oxidative stress in rats. Methods: TBI model was induced by controlled cortical impact injury. Different dosages of HS were intraperitoneally administered at 5 min after TBI operation. We then measured the brain edema, blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, neurological dysfunction and injury volume in all animals. In addition, the oxidative products and antioxidant enzymes in brain tissues were detected. Results: TBI-challenged rats exhibited significant brain injuries characterized by the increase of BBB permeability, brain edema, and lesion volume as well as neurological dysfunction, which were dose-dependently ameliorated by HS treatment. Moreover, we found that HS treatment increased the endogenous antioxidant enzymatic activities and decreased the oxidative product levels in brain tissues of TBI-challenged rats. Conclusion: Hydrogen-rich saline can exert a protective effect against TBI via reducing oxidative stress. Molecular hydrogen may be a more effective therapeutic strategy for TBI patients.