Reducing Pain and Inflammation with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

🧠 The Problem

Neuropathic pain—a chronic condition commonly triggered by nerve injuries—is notoriously difficult to treat. This type of pain often involves astrocyte activation and inflammation, which contribute to heightened mechanical and thermal sensitivityBioMed Central.

 💡 The Idea Behind the Study

Could hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) reduce neuropathic pain by modulating the Kindlin‑1/Wnt‑10a signaling pathway, thereby dampening astrocyte activation and inflammatory responsesBioMed CentralPMC?

 🔬 How the Study Was Done

• Subjects: 36 male Sprague-Dawley rats, divided into 3 groups (12 rats each):

  • Sham operation (control)

  • Chronic Constriction Injury (CCI) to induce neuropathic pain (CCI group)

  • CCI + HBO therapy (CCI + HBO group)BioMed CentralPMC

• Method:

  • CCI performed on the sciatic nerve to model neuropathic painBioMed CentralPMC.

  • HBO treatment: Rats received 100% oxygen at 2.0 ATA for 60 minutes per session, once daily for five consecutive days, starting one day after surgeryBioMed CentralPMC.

• Assessments:

  • Mechanical Withdrawal Threshold (MWT) and Thermal Withdrawal Latency (TWL) to evaluate pain sensitivityBioMed CentralPMC.

  • Molecular measures:

    • Protein expression of Kindlin‑1, Wnt‑10a, and β-catenin (via immunohistochemistry and Western blot).

    • Levels of TNF‑α (via ELISA).

    • Astrocyte activation (detected via GFAP staining).

  • Analyses were conducted in dorsal root ganglia (DRG), spinal cord, and hippocampusBioMed CentralPMC.

 📊 Key Results

• Pain Measures:

  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy significantly reduced both mechanical hypersensitivity (MWT) and thermal hypersensitivity (TWL)compared to the untreated CCI groupBioMed CentralPubMed.

• Molecular Findings:

  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy reversed CCI-induced up-regulation of Kindlin‑1 in DRG, spinal cord, and hippocampusBioMed CentralPMC.

  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy also significantly reduced Wnt‑10a expression in those same regionsBioMed CentralPubMed.

  • Astrocyte activation and elevated TNF‑α levels induced by CCI were both significantly suppressed by HBOBioMed CentralPubMed.

 🧩 Why This Matters

• Demonstrates that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy alleviates neuropathic pain by targeting key molecular and inflammatory pathways—not just through general oxygenation effects.

• Highlights the Kindlin‑1/Wnt‑10a signaling axis as a novel mechanism involved in astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation and pain modulation.

• Suggests HBO may offer a non-pharmacological strategy for managing neuropathic pain by addressing underlying neuroinflammatory processes.

 ✨ Takeaway

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy—administered early after nerve injury—can reduce neuropathic pain in rats by suppressing inflammation and astrocyte activation via the Kindlin-1/Wnt‑10a pathway. This points to a promising, targeted approach for pain relief beyond conventional drug-based treatments.

 📖 Reference

Zhao B, Pan Y, Xu H, Song X. Hyperbaric oxygen attenuates neuropathic pain and reverses inflammatory signaling likely via the Kindlin‑1/Wnt‑10a signaling pathway in the chronic pain injury model in rats. J Headache Pain. 2017 Jan 5;18(1):1. PMID: 28058534. PMCBioMed Central