What Researchers Did
Scientists tested whether breathing pressurized air (not pure oxygen) could increase the number of stem and progenitor cells circulating in the blood of healthy volunteers.
What They Found
This clinical study found that repeated hyperbaric air exposure mobilized stem and progenitor cells (SPCs) and changed cytokine levels in the blood of ten healthy volunteers aged 34 to 35. Participants were exposed to hyperbaric air at 1.27 ATA (4 psig/965 mmHg) for 90 minutes, five days a week, for 10 sessions over two weeks. Blood was drawn at four points: before the first session, right after the first session, just before the ninth session, and three days after the final session, with SPCs identified by blinded scientists using flow cytometry. The researchers concluded that SPCs were mobilized and cytokines were modulated by the hyperbaric air exposure, and stated that hyperbaric air likely is a therapeutic treatment, though the abstract does not report specific fold-changes, p-values, or named cytokines.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
The study involved only ten healthy volunteers in a narrow age range with no separate control group receiving a different exposure, so the findings may not extend to patients with illness or to other age groups.