Hydrogen-rich water attenuates oxidative stress in rats with traumatic brain injury via Nrf2 pathway

Materials and methods: The TBI model was constructed according to the modified Feeney weight-drop method. In part 1 of the experiment, we measured oxidative stress levels by observing the changes in catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) expressions. We also evaluated nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) levels to determine the role of the protein in the neuroprotective effects against TBI. In part 2, we verified the neuroprotective effects of hydrogen-rich water in TBI and observed its effects on Nrf2. All the experimental rats were divided into sham group, TBI group, and TBI + hydrogen-rich water-treated (TBI + HW) group. We randomly chose 20 rats from each group and recorded their 7-d survival rates. Modified neurological severity scores were recorded from an additional six rats per group, which were then sacrificed 24 h after testing. Spectrophotometry was used to measure GPx, CAT, and MDA levels, whereas western blotting, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry were used to measure the expression of Nrf2 and downstream factors like heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1).