Protective Effect of Hydrogen Gas Therapy After Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage in Neonatal Rats

Anatol Manaenko, Jiping Peterson, John H. Zhang, Mathewl Tang, Nancy Fathali, Tim Lekic, William Rolland

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-7091-0693-8_40 DOI is the universal ID for this study.

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Abstract:

Germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH) is a neurological disease of very low birth weight premature infants leading to post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. Hydrogen (H2) is a potent antioxidant shown to selectively reverse cytotoxic oxygen-radical injury in the brain. This study investigated the therapeutic effect of hydrogen gas after neonatal GMH injury. Neonatal rats underwent stereotaxic infusion of clostridial collagenase into the right germinal matrix brain region. Cognitive function was assessed at 3 weeks, and then sensorimotor function, cerebral, cardiac and splenic growths were measured 1 week thereafter. Hydrogen gas inhalation markedly suppressed mental retardation and cerebral palsy outcomes in rats at the juvenile developmental stage. The administration of H2 gas, early after neonatal GMH, also normalized the brain atrophy, splenomegaly and cardiac hypertrophy 1 month after injury. This study supports the role of cytotoxic oxygen-radical injury in early neonatal GMH. Hydrogen gas inhalation is an effective strategy to help protect the infant brain from the post-hemorrhagic consequences of brain atrophy, mental retardation and cerebral palsy. Further studies are necessary to determine the mechanistic basis of these protective effects.

Publish Year 2011
Country United States
Rank Positive
Journal Acta Neurochirurgica Supplement
Primary Topic Brain
Secondary TopicBrain Injury
Model Rat
Tertiary TopicIntracranial Hemorrhage
Vehicle Gas
pH N/A
Application Inhalation
Comparison
Complement