Hydrogen Therapy Boosts Skin Flap Surgery Success in Rats
Synergistic effect of hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning and hydrogen-rich saline in ameliorating rat flap ischemia/reperfusion injury
Research hubs: Skin & Dermatology System · Cardiovascular System
This research was done in animals. Results in animals often don't carry over to people.
- Evidence type
- Animal study (rat)
- Authors
- You-Bin Wang, Yi-Ding Xiao, Yun-Qi Liu, Ming-Zi Zhang, Yi-Fang Liu, Xue-Mei Ma
- Journal
- Plastic and Aesthetic Research
- Year
- 2015
- Study Type
- Rat
- Delivery
- Saline (Dissolved)
- H₂ concentration
- 0.8 mmol/L
- Duration
- 3 days
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 2 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- China
TL;DR
Combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy with hydrogen-rich saline treatment significantly improves the survival of skin flaps after surgery by reducing cell death.
Key Finding
In rats, combining hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning with hydrogen-rich saline treatment produced better skin flap survival than either treatment alone.
Summary
This rat study tested whether combining two treatments—hyperbaric oxygen (breathing pure oxygen at high pressure) and hydrogen-rich saline (salt water containing dissolved hydrogen)—could better protect skin tissue from damage during surgery. Researchers created a surgical flap (a piece of skin) in rats and temporarily cut off its blood supply, then treated different groups with either treatment alone, both together, or neither. The combination treatment preserved more of the flap tissue and reduced cell death compared to either treatment by itself.
Practical Takeaway
This is an early-stage animal study showing a potential synergistic benefit of combining these two treatments for surgical tissue protection. However, it was conducted only in rats, and the practical application to human surgery remains unclear. More research, including human studies, would be needed before drawing conclusions about clinical use.
Abstract (excerpt)
Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the synergistic effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) preconditioning and hydrogen-rich saline (HRS) treatment on skin flap survival and apoptosis in a rat ischemia/reperfusion (IR) skin flap model. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided…