Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Inflammation, Oxidative/Antioxidant Balance, and Muscle Damage after Acute Exercise in Normobaric, Normoxic and Hypobaric, Hypoxic Environments: A Pilot Study

Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Inflammation, Oxidative/Antioxidant Balance, and Muscle Damage after Acute Exercise in Normobaric, Normoxic and Hypobaric, Hypoxic Environments: A Pilot Study

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JinheeWoo ¹,^y, Jae-Hee Min ¹,^y, Yul-Hyo Lee ² and Hee-Tae Roh ¹,*

¹ Department of Physical Education, College of Arts and Physical Education, Dong-A University,

Busan 49315, Korea; sports@dau.ac.kr (J.W.); jop9508@naver.com (J.-H.M.)

² Department of Taekwondo, Youngsan University, Yangsan-si 50510, Korea; health@ysu.ac.kr

* Correspondence: dau0409@dau.ac.kr; Tel.: +82-51-200-7835; Fax: +82-51-200-7805

^y The first two authors contributed equally to this work.

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Received: 14 September 2020; Accepted: 7 October 2020; Published: 10 October 2020

This study investigates the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on inflammation and muscle damage after acute exercise. ​

Abstract

• The study examines hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle damage post-exercise. ​
• Eighteen healthy males were divided into three groups: normobaric normoxic (NN), HBOT after NN (HNN), and HBOT after hypobaric hypoxic (HHH) conditions. ​
• Participants performed treadmill running for 60 minutes at 75-80% maximum heart rate. ​
• Blood samples were collected to analyze inflammation and muscle damage markers before exercise, after exercise, and after HBOT. ​
• Results indicated that HBOT effectively alleviated exercise-induced inflammation and muscle damage. ​

Introduction

• Regular exercise can reduce chronic inflammation and oxidative stress but can also cause muscle damage. ​
• Inflammatory markers like IL-6 and TNF-α are indicators of exercise-induced inflammation. ​
• Hypoxia increases oxidative stress and inflammation during exercise. ​
• Previous studies suggest HBOT may aid recovery from exercise-related injuries, but evidence is limited. ​

Methods

• Eighteen healthy males with normal BMI were recruited and randomly assigned to three groups.
• Anthropometric measures and VO2 max were assessed prior to the exercise tests. ​
• Exercise was conducted in controlled NN and HH environments, followed by HBOT for HNN and HHH groups. ​
• Blood samples were analyzed for various inflammatory and muscle damage markers. ​

Results

• Plasma fibrinogen and serum IL-6 levels increased significantly after exercise in all groups. ​
• HBOT treatment led to decreased levels of fibrinogen and IL-6 in HNN and HHH groups. ​
• Serum CK and LDH levels, indicators of muscle damage, were significantly reduced after HBOT in HHH and HNN groups. ​
• No significant differences in oxidative stress markers (d-ROMs and BAP) were observed. ​

Discussion

• Acute exercise induced temporary inflammatory responses and muscle damage, with no significant differences between NN and HH conditions. ​
• HBOT treatment effectively reduced inflammation and muscle damage post-exercise. ​
• The study suggests that HBOT may be beneficial for recovery, although further research is needed to confirm these findings. ​

Conclusions

• Acute exercise in NN and HH environments causes temporary inflammation and muscle damage. ​
• HBOT treatment positively impacts recovery by alleviating inflammation and muscle damage after exercise.