Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to Treat Diabetes Impaired Wound Healing in Rats

Wound healing in diabetes is frequently impaired and its treatment remains a challenge. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) receives a wide attendance and is often used as a last resort treatment option, however, its effectiveness for many conditions is unproven. We tested the effect of HBOT on healing of diabetic ulcers in an animal experimental setting. Experimental diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Four weeks after diabetes induction, rats were ulcerated by clamping a pair of magnet disks on the dorsal skin for 16 h. After magnet removal, the animals received HBOT, daily on weekdays, for 4 weeks. To examine the effect of HBOT on diabetes impaired wound healing, the degree of wound tissue perfusion, inflammation, angiogenesis, and tissue breaking strength were evaluated. HBOT effects on the degree of inflammation and number of blood vessels could not be observed. HBOT improved the tissue breaking strength of the wound, however, this did not reach statistical significance. Twenty hours after ending the HBOT, a significantly improved oxygen saturation of the hemoglobin at the venous end of the capillaries and the quantity of hemoglobin in the micro-blood vessels was measured.

糖尿病患者的伤口愈合常受抑制，其治疗至今仍是临床难题。高压氧疗法（Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, HBOT）受到广泛关注，常被用作终末治疗手段，但其针对多种病症的有效性尚未得到证实。本研究在动物实验模型中探究了HBOT对糖尿病溃疡愈合的作用。通过腹腔注射链脲佐菌素诱导大鼠罹患糖尿病。糖尿病造模4周后，于大鼠背部皮肤夹持一对磁盘16小时，以制造皮肤溃疡模型。移除磁盘后，受试动物于每个工作日接受每日1次的HBOT治疗，疗程持续4周。为评估HBOT对糖尿病受损伤口愈合的影响，本研究对伤口组织灌注水平、炎症程度、血管生成情况及组织断裂强度进行了检测。结果显示，HBOT未对炎症程度与血管数量产生可观测的影响；其虽可提升伤口的组织断裂强度，但该差异未达到统计学显著性水平。在HBOT结束20小时后，研究者检测到毛细血管静脉端的血红蛋白氧饱和度显著升高，且微血管内的血红蛋白含量明显增加。