Hydrogen alleviates hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage in neonatal rats by inhibiting injury of brain pericytes.

Hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) can induce the death of cerebrovascular constituent cells through oxidative stress. Hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant which can activate the antioxidant system. A hypoxia-ischaemia brain damage (HIBD) model was established in 7-day-old SD rats. Rats were treated with different doses of hydrogen-rich water (HRW), and brain pericyte oxidative stress damage, cerebrovascular function and brain tissue damage were assessed. Meanwhile, in vitro-cultured pericytes were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation and treated with different concentrations of HRW. Oxidative injury was measured and the molecular mechanism of how HRW alleviated oxidative injury of pericytes was also examined. The results showed that HRW significantly attenuated HI-induced oxidative stress in the brain pericytes of neonatal rats, partly through the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway, further improving cerebrovascular function and reducing brain injury and dysfunction. Furthermore, HRW is superior to a single-cell death inhibitor for apoptosis, ferroptosis, parthanatos, necroptosis and autophagy and can better inhibit HI-induced pericyte death. The liver and kidney functions of rats were not affected by present used HRW dose. This study elucidates the role and mechanism of hydrogen in treating HIBD from the perspective of pericytes, providing new theoretical evidence and mechanistic references for the clinical application of hydrogen in neonatal HIE.