An Immunohistochemical Study of the Increase in Antioxidant Capacity of Corneal Epithelial Cells by Molecular Hydrogen, Leading to the Suppression of Alkali-Induced Oxidative Stress.
Cejka C, Kossl J, Holan V, Zhang JH, Cejkova J. · Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2020;2020:7435260.
Study at a glance
Preclinical
Rabbit corneas exposed to an alkali-burn protocol.
Hydrogen-saturated phosphate-buffered saline applied to the cornea four times daily for three days before injury. · 1.5±0.2 ppm at preparation and approximately 0.8 ppm at corneal application.
Three-day pretreatment with post-injury assessment.
Hydrogen-saline pretreatment was associated with less corneal damage and lower selected oxidative-stress markers after alkali injury.
Pretreatment animal model; it does not establish prevention or treatment effects in human eye injury.
What kind of evidence is this?
Preclinical
Controlled rabbit study
Eye health
Other forms
Positive preclinical signal.
Animal eye tissue and biomarker outcomes.
Methods
Rabbit corneas exposed to an alkali-burn protocol.
30 rabbits initially; five per group were assessed after pretreatment and ten per group continued to alkali injury.
Three-day pretreatment with post-injury assessment.
Hydrogen-saturated phosphate-buffered saline applied to the cornea four times daily for three days before injury.
H2 dissolved in buffered saline; not Brown's gas.
1.5±0.2 ppm at preparation and approximately 0.8 ppm at corneal application.
Phosphate-buffered saline without added hydrogen.
Outcomes and reported result
Corneal hydration, epithelial integrity, histology and oxidative-stress immunostaining.
Hydrogen-saline pretreatment was associated with less corneal damage and lower selected oxidative-stress markers after alkali injury.
The full article, methods, group flow, histology and immunostaining outcomes were checked.
A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit.
Limitations and applicability
Pretreatment animal model; it does not establish prevention or treatment effects in human eye injury.
The reported rabbit alkali-burn model.
SYRCLE animal-study tool — preliminary
Some concerns
Allocation and assessor blinding were not clearly reported.
Randomization/allocation reporting is limited · Blinding of personnel is unclear · Attrition is incompletely reported in places · Blinding of outcome assessors is unclear · No prospectively registered analysis plan identified
No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Read how records and evidence assessments are prepared.
Sources and record status
PMID: 32655773 · DOI: 10.1155/2020/7435260
Free full article in PubMed Central.
PubMed record and PubMed Central full text; extraction checked 9 August 2026.
10 August 2026
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