The Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Inflammatory Parameters Induced by a Heat Injury Model

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) reduces neuropathic pain, promote healing of hypoxic, chronic wounds and sores caused by radiation therapy. Nitric oxide (NO) is a contributing factor to the prolonged anti-nociceptive effect of HBO treatment. In addition, HBO stimulates the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen forms, reduces beta-2 integrin function, and reduces contact of leukocytes to the endothelial surface of the capillaries, improves microcirculation and causes decreased monocyte chemokine synthesis. It is the interaction of these mechanisms involved in HBO's anti-inflammatory effect. How HBO reduces pain and inflammation in humans has not been established. In healthy subjects, investigators have shown that HBO has a reducing effect on the mechanism, which at the level the of spinal cord amplifies the number and and the extension of pain impulses. Subjects who were given HBO therapy initially developed significantly less secondary hyperalgesia than the control group several weeks later by the new heat injury suggesting a protective, preconditioning effect. As in the previous experiment (NCT02025686) preconditioning effects will be assessed by means of measurements of thermal thresholds, pin-prick thresholds, erythema indices and secondary hyperalgesic areas (i.e. area under the curve per minute). Similarly,differences in the sequence of sessions (i.e. first session HBO;second session ambient pressure condition or first session ambient pressure condition;second session HBO) will be analyzed accordingly. In an improved blinded study design investigators will now investigate the effect of HBO treatment using the same cutaneous heat injury model, as in the first study. Investigators expect to finally be able to confirm previous results thereby improving treatment of severe pain conditions.