Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Alleviates the Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis via the Reduction of IL-17a and GM-Csf Production of Autoreactive T Cells as Well as Boosting the Immunosuppressive IL-10 in the Central Nervous System Tissue Lesions.

What Researchers Did

Researchers investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for multiple sclerosis (MS), by examining T cell subsets in the central nervous system.

What They Found

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly alleviated the progression of EAE. This was achieved by suppressing the Th17 response and downregulating CD4 T helper cells expressing GM-CSF or TNF-α. Additionally, HBOT boosted immunomodulatory IL-4 or IL-10-expressed CD4 T cells in the central nervous system lesions.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection.

Study Limitations

A primary limitation is that this study was conducted in a mouse model of MS, meaning direct applicability to human patients requires further research.