With the rapid development of medicine today, exploring efficient and safe treatment methods has always been the core pursuit of scientific researchers and medical workers. Among them, stem cells have become the focus of regenerative medicine due to their strong regenerative ability. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a technology originally used to treat specific diseases, has shown potential in stem cell mobilization in recent years, which has excited the medical community. So, can hyperbaric oxygen therapy mobilize stem cells? What kind of medical value does it have? Next, let us explore it in depth.

1. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy: a unique treatment method
   Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a very unique treatment method. Patients need to enter a special hyperbaric chamber. In this confined space, the pressure in the chamber will increase, and the patient breathes oxygen with a purity of up to 100%. Under normal circumstances, the amount of oxygen dissolved in the blood is limited, but in a hyperbaric oxygen environment, the solubility of oxygen is greatly increased. This is like widening the body’s “oxygen delivery pipeline”, allowing more oxygen to reach various tissues and organs of the body with blood circulation, providing sufficient “fuel” for the normal metabolism and function maintenance of cells. At first, it was mainly used to treat common diseases such as decompression sickness and carbon monoxide poisoning in divers. As research continues to advance, more of its therapeutic potential has been gradually discovered.
2. Stem cells: the “self-healing elves” of the human body

Stem cells can be called the “treasure cells” of the human body, with amazing multidirectional differentiation potential. It is like a little elf with magical magic, “on call” in various tissues and organs of the body. Once a part of the body is damaged, stem cells can respond quickly and differentiate into various specific types of cells, such as muscle cells, nerve cells, blood cells, etc., to participate in the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues. However, in a healthy state, most stem cells are in a state of “quiet rest”. How to accurately and efficiently awaken these “sleeping self-healing forces” has always been a hot topic in medical research.

3. The wonderful mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen therapy mobilizing stem cells
4. Improve the “soil” environment: When tissues are in an oxygen-deficient state, the activity and function of stem cells will be inhibited, just like seeds are difficult to germinate and grow in poor soil. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can significantly increase the oxygen content in the blood and tissues, creating an oxygen-rich “fertile soil” for stem cells. With sufficient oxygen, cell metabolism becomes more active, and the mobilization and differentiation of stem cells become smoother.
5. Release “summoning signals”: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can stimulate the body to release a variety of growth factors, such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), etc. These growth factors are like “summoning orders” that summon stem cells from the bone marrow, allow them to enter the blood circulation, and then guide them to “rush to the battlefield” in the direction of damaged tissues to accelerate tissue repair.
6. Calm the “inflammation war”: Inflammatory reactions often occur when the body is injured, but excessive inflammation can interfere with the repair work of stem cells. The hyperbaric oxygen environment can reduce the production of oxygen free radicals, thereby effectively inhibiting chronic inflammation. When the “war” of inflammation is calmed, stem cells can receive repair signals more clearly and smoothly reach the damaged area to carry out “repair projects”.
7. Lay a “passageway”: The production of nitric oxide (NO) increases under the action of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It is like a “traffic conductor” on the road. It can not only dilate blood vessels, increase local blood flow, and provide a smoother “road” for the transportation of stem cells, but also guide stem cells to migrate accurately to the tissue area that needs to be repaired, thereby improving the repair efficiency.
8. Scientific evidence: The stem cell mobilization effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy
   A large number of scientific studies have provided solid evidence to support the mobilization of stem cells by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In a clinical trial conducted in Europe, a group of patients with lower limb ischemic diseases were selected to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for several weeks. The results were surprising. After treatment, the number of stem cells in the blood of patients increased significantly, and the number of stem cells in some patients even reached several times that before treatment. This finding directly proves the mobilization effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on stem cells.
   Animal experiments also provide strong support for this conclusion. In the rat skin wound model experiment, the wound healing speed of rats receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy was much faster than that of rats not receiving treatment. Histological analysis showed that the number of stem cells in the wound site of rats in the treatment group increased significantly, and the formation of new blood vessels and granulation tissue was also faster, which fully demonstrated that stem cells played a key role in promoting wound healing through hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

V. Clinical application: Broad prospects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy

1. Overcoming the problem of diabetic foot: Diabetic foot is a common and difficult complication of diabetes. Patients’ foot wounds are often difficult to heal, and in severe cases may even lead to amputation. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has brought new hope to patients with diabetic foot. By increasing the oxygen supply to local tissues, it can promote the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and the formation of new blood vessels, while mobilizing stem cells to participate in tissue repair and accelerate the process of wound healing. After receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy, many diabetic foot patients have significantly reduced wound area, reduced infection risk, and avoided the tragedy of amputation.
2. Helping stroke rehabilitation: Stroke can cause serious damage to brain nerve cells, and the patient’s movement, cognition and other functions will be greatly affected. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can mobilize stem cells to migrate to damaged brain tissue, promote the regeneration and repair of nerve cells, and help patients rebuild nerve conduction pathways. Clinical studies have shown that stroke patients who are combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy have better performance in limb motor function recovery, language ability improvement, and cognitive function improvement than patients who simply receive conventional rehabilitation treatment, and the rehabilitation cycle is also significantly shortened.
3. Accelerate the healing process of fractures: The healing process after fractures requires the coordinated participation of multiple cells, and stem cells play an important role in this process. For some patients with difficult fracture healing, such as the elderly or patients with osteoporosis, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can accelerate the blood supply to the fracture site, mobilize more stem cells to reach the fracture site, and promote the proliferation of bone cells and the formation of new bone. Practice has shown that the fracture healing time of patients with fractures who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy was shortened by several weeks on average compared with those who did not receive treatment, greatly reducing the pain and rehabilitation burden of patients.
   VI. Advantages and challenges of hyperbaric oxygen therapy
4. Significant advantages: One of the outstanding advantages of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is its non-invasiveness. Compared with traditional stem cell mobilization methods, such as bone marrow puncture to collect stem cells, patients do not need to endure painful invasive operations, and the treatment process is relatively comfortable and convenient. Moreover, it is not affected by individual genetic differences in patients. Whether young or old, whether there are genetic defects or not, they can benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In addition, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also be used in combination with other treatments, such as drug therapy, physical therapy, etc., to play a synergistic role and improve the overall treatment effect.
5. Challenges: Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy has great potential, it also faces some practical problems. On the one hand, there are individual differences in the treatment effect, and different patients respond differently to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which may be related to various factors such as the patient’s underlying disease, physical condition, and treatment compliance. On the other hand, the cost of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is high. Not only is the equipment purchase and maintenance expensive, but the venue and professional personnel required for treatment also increase the cost. Moreover, long-term or irregular hyperbaric oxygen therapy may cause some side effects, such as oxygen poisoning and middle ear barotrauma. In addition, the specific molecular mechanism of hyperbaric oxygen therapy mobilizing stem cells has not yet been fully clarified, which also limits its further optimization and application.

VII. Looking to the future: exploring unlimited possibilities

Looking to the future, hyperbaric oxygen therapy still has many directions worthy of in-depth research in the field of stem cell mobilization. Researchers will work to optimize treatment plans and accurately determine the optimal treatment time, frequency, and pressure to achieve more efficient stem cell mobilization. At the same time, the development of personalized treatment plans for different diseases and patient groups will also become a research focus. For example, for special populations such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly, safer and more effective hyperbaric oxygen therapy plans can be developed.
In addition, combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy with emerging biotechnology is also a promising direction. For example, combined with gene therapy and cytokine therapy, it is expected to further enhance the mobilization and repair ability of stem cells. With the continuous advancement of science and technology, hyperbaric oxygen equipment is expected to develop in the direction of miniaturization, intelligence, and home use in the future, allowing patients to receive convenient hyperbaric oxygen therapy at home, reducing treatment costs and improving treatment accessibility.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has shown great potential in stem cell mobilization. Although it still faces some challenges, with the continuous deepening of research and continuous innovation of technology, it is expected to become an important means of treating a variety of diseases in the future medical field, bringing more hope of recovery to patients and promoting regenerative medicine to a new height.