Background: Soft tissue trauma is a type of acute traumatic ischemia. We investigated in this study whether the edema, inflammation and ischemia caused by the trauma could be affected positively by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and ozone therapy.
Methods: Soft tissue trauma was generated in a total of 63 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subsequently, rats were divided into three groups. The first group was treated with ozone, the second group with HBO, and the third group served as controls. Tissue and blood samples were taken at the end of the procedures. Tissue lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), heme oxygenase (HO)-1, and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 levels were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to determine the inflammation and edema histopathologically.
Results: We also detected HIF-1 activity, which decreases when the oxygen concentration increases, HO-1 activity, which has anti-inflammatory effects, and iNOS activity, which releases in any type of acute case. We determined a statistically significant reduction in iNOS and LPO levels in both the HBO and Ozone groups. A significant decrease in inflammation was detected in both the Ozone and HBO groups compared with the Control group, and a significant decrease in edema was detected in all three groups.
Conclusion: We think that HBO and Ozone therapy have beneficial effects on biochemical and histopathological findings. Related clinical trials will be helpful in clarifying the effects.