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Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in liver diseases

By March 25, 2019No Comments

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy otherwise known as HBOT has proven to be an effective therapy to improve the progress of lots of diseases especially hypoxia-related injuries and has been clinically established as a wide-used therapy for patients with carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, problematic wounds, and so on. As far as the liver is concerned HBOT was (in most studies) positively evaluated as a potential therapeutic option for liver transplantation, acute liver injury, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cancer, especially for hepatic artery thrombosis. However, some controversies are existed, possibly due to hyperbaric oxygen toxicity. This study summarizes the current understandings of the role of HBOT in liver diseases and hepatic regeneration.

HBOT in liver diseases. In the liver, immediate HBOT reduces inflammation and oxidant stress to protect hepatocytes in liver injury. HBOT also facilitates hepatocyte proliferation and improves fibrogenesis. HBOT inhibits bacterial translocation to attenuate sepsis-induced liver injury. In addition, HBOT is definitely an effective therapy for artery thrombosis. Even though the role of HBO in liver cancer cell proliferation is undetermined, a combination of HBOT and radiotherapy or chemotherapy sensitive cancer cells to death. However, improper HBOT leads to increase of oxidant stress and hepatotoxicity.
hyperbarics

Author hyperbarics

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