Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2021 Nov 16;13(22):24500-24510.
doi: 10.18632/aging.203701. Epub 2021 Nov 16.

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the pathophysiology of skin aging: a prospective clinical trial

Yafit Hachmo  1 , Amir Hadanny  2   3   4 , Sonia Mendelovic  5 , Pnina Hillman  5 , Eyal Shapira  6 , Geva Landau  6 , Hadar Gattegno  1 , Avi Zrachya  1 , Malka Daniel-Kotovsky  2 , Merav Catalogna  2 , Gregory Fishlev  2 , Erez Lang  2 , Nir Polak  2 , Keren Doenyas  2 , Mony Friedman  2 , Yonatan Zemel  2 , Yair Bechor  2 , Shai Efrati  1   2   3   7
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the pathophysiology of skin aging: a prospective clinical trial

Yafit Hachmo et al. Aging (Albany NY). .

Abstract

Introduction: Skin biopsies can be used to evaluate physiological effects of aging targeted intervention at the tissue/cellular levels. Recent clinical trials have shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can target aging hallmarks, including telomere shortening, senescent cells clearance and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of HBOT on the skin of a normal, non-pathological, aging population.

Methods: The study was performed as a prospective clinical trial. After signing informed consent and undergoing baseline evaluations, the subjects were assigned to a three-month control period followed by three months of HBOT daily sessions. Skin biopsies were taken at baseline, after three months of no intervention (control) and 1-2 weeks following the last HBOT session. Trichrome, Orecin, lipofuscin and CD31 staining were used to evaluate collagen fibers, elastic fibers, senescent cells and blood vessels, respectively.

Results: Out of the cohort of 70 participants in the normal aging population study, thirteen male patients (age 68.07±2.5y) gave consent for repeated skin biopsies. Following HBOT, there was a significant increase in collagen density (p<0.001, effect size(es)=1.10), elastic fiber length (p<0.0001, es=2.71) and the number of blood vessels (p=0.02, es=1.00). There was a significant decrease in fiber fragmentation (p=0.012) and in tissue senescent cells (p=0.03, es=0.84) post-HBOT. No changes were noted in elastic fiber density or thickness.

Conclusions: The study indicates, for the first time in humans, that HBOT can significantly modulate the pathophysiology of the skin aging in a healthy aging population. The demonstrated mechanisms include angiogenesis and senescent cell clearance.

Keywords: aging; angiogenesis; hyperbaric oxygen; senescence; skin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: AH, ES, BY, ZY work for AVIV Scientific LTD. ES is a shareholder at AVIV Scientific LTD.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Elastic fiber changes. Following HBOT, there was a significant increase in elastic fiber numbers, along with a significant decrease in their fragmentation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Papillary layer thickness changes. Following HBOT, there was a significant decrease in the papillary layer thickness.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Blood vessels changes. Following HBOT, there was a significant increase in tissue blood vessels. Left column: DAPI staining for intact cells evaluation; middle column: CD31 staining of endothelial cells; right column: merging of DAPI and CD31.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Senescence cells changes. Following HBOT, there was a significant decrease in number of tissue senescent cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Passos JF, von Zglinicki T. Mitochondria, telomeres and cell senescence. Exp Gerontol. 2005; 40:466–72. 10.1016/j.exger.2005.04.006 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Callaghan TM, Wilhelm KP. A review of ageing and an examination of clinical methods in the assessment of ageing skin. Part I: Cellular and molecular perspectives of skin ageing. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2008; 30:313–22. 10.1111/j.1468-2494.2008.00454.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang S, Duan E. Fighting against Skin Aging: The Way from Bench to Bedside. Cell Transplant. 2018; 27:729–38. 10.1177/0963689717725755 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Makrantonaki E, Zouboulis CC. William J. Cunliffe Scientific Awards. Characteristics and pathomechanisms of endogenously aged skin. Dermatology. 2007; 214:352–60. 10.1159/000100890 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kohl E, Steinbauer J, Landthaler M, Szeimies RM. Skin ageing. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2011; 25:873–84. 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2010.03963.x - DOI - PubMed

Publication types