Oral administration of mannitol may be an effective treatment for ischemia-reperfusion injury

Inhalation of hydrogen gas has been proved to be an effective treatment for ischemia-reperfusion injury. There has been considerable evidence of hydrogen's protective effect to diseases related to oxidative injury, such as the ischemia-reperfusion injury of the brain, liver and heart. Our previous studies demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of hydrogen-rich saline protected hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, myocardial and intestine ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Bacteria in the large intestinal can produce endogenous hydrogen, and our preliminary experiments revealed that oral administration of mannitol in humans and animals can significantly increase the level of endogenous hydrogen. Therefore, we speculated that oral administration of mannitol may be effective against ischemia-reperfusion injury, which is a convenient, effective and unique treatment for ischemia-reperfusion injury. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.