What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the effect of 30 hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions on gene expression of oxidative stress regulators and pro-inflammatory cytokines in 15 patients with Wagner stages 2-4 diabetic foot ulcers.
What They Found
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increased SOD1 and GPX2 gene expression by 0.4 and 3 times, respectively, and also increased IL-1β, IL-12, IL-4, and NLRP3 gene expression by 2.1, 0.4, 1.5, and 1.2 times, respectively. Conversely, TNFα gene expression decreased by 0.5 times, and all patients experienced full resolution of their diabetic foot ulcer lesions.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with diabetic foot ulcers, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could be a beneficial adjunctive treatment to promote wound healing. This therapy may help by modulating gene expression related to oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially leading to better clinical outcomes like lesion resolution.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada or with Canadian participants.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this preliminary study is its small sample size of 15 patients, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.