Stem cells mobilized by hyperbaric oxygen

PHILADELPHIA, Dec 29, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A new study says hyperbaric oxygen treatments aid in the recovery of injured and diseased tissue by increasing stem cell mobility.

The report, which will be published in the April 2006 American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulation Physiology, says a typical course of hyperbaric oxygen treatments increases by eight-fold the number of stem cells circulating in a patient's body.

Stem cells, also called progenitor cells, are crucial to injury repair.

"This is the safest way clinically to increase stem cell circulation, far safer than any of the pharmaceutical options," said Dr. Stephen Thom, Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "This study provides information on the fundamental mechanisms for hyperbaric oxygen and offers a new theoretical therapeutic option for mobilizing stem cells."

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