Hydrogen Saline Protects Brain from Stroke Damage in Rats
- Authors
- Qing Ji, Kangli Hui, Lidong Zhang, Xuejun Sun, Weiyan Li, Manlin Duan
- Journal
- Journal of Surgical Research
- Year
- 2011
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jss.2011.01.057
- Study Type
- Rat
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Stroke
- Body System
- Nervous System
TL;DR
Injecting hydrogen-rich saline into rats after a stroke-like event significantly protected their brain cells from damage.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich saline reduced multiple markers of brain damage in rats with temporary loss of blood flow to the brain, including oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death signals.
Summary
Researchers tested whether hydrogen-rich saline (a salt solution containing dissolved hydrogen gas) could protect rat brains from damage caused by temporarily cutting off blood flow and then restoring it. They found that rats treated with hydrogen-rich saline had less brain cell death, lower levels of harmful molecules that damage cells, and reduced inflammation compared to untreated rats.
Practical Takeaway
This rat study suggests hydrogen-rich saline may have protective effects on brain tissue during ischemic injury, but human studies are needed to determine if these benefits apply to people. The findings are preliminary and limited to laboratory conditions.
Abstract
Background: Due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, hydrogen gas (H(2)) has protective effects on a variety of organs from damage induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). In this study, we tested the protective effect of hydrogen-rich saline on the brain in a global cerebral I/R model. Materials and methods: We used a four-vessel occlusion model of global cerebral ischemia (15 min) and reperfusion with rats. The rats were divided into four groups (n = 96): sham, I/R plus physiologic saline injected intraperitoneally, I/R plus hydrogen-rich saline injected intraperitoneally at the beginning of reperfusion, and I/R plus hydrogen-rich saline injected intraperitoneally 6 h after reperfusion began. One group of rats was sacrificed after 24 h of reperfusion. Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured to quantify the oxidative stress. Caspase-3 was measured to indicate the status of apoptosis. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were measured to monitor the inflammation. Another group of rats was sacrificed after 72 h of reperfusion to measure the histologic damages in hippocampus by hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Results: Compared with rats with I/R only, hydrogen-rich saline treatment significantly improved the amount of surviving cells. NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6, MDA, and caspase-3 were all increased significantly by I/R injury. Hydrogen-rich saline reduced all these markers. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that intraperitoneal injection of hydrogen-rich saline has strong protective effect on the transient global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats.