Physiol. Res. 53: 493-500, 2004


Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen on Experimental Acute Distal Colitis

B. GULEC1, M. YASAR2, S. YILDIZ3, S. OTER4, C. AKAY5, S. DEVECİ6, D. SEN1

1Department of General Surgery, 2Department of Emergency Medicine (Division of Surgery), 3Department of Underwater Medicine, 4Department of Physiology, 5Department of Toxicology, 6Department of Pathology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Gülhane School of Medicine Ankara, Turkey

Received December 13, 2002
Accepted June 12, 2003



Summary
It has been demonstrated that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) is useful as an adjunctive therapy for Crohn's disease. However, its effects on ulcerative colitis have not been investigated. In the present study, HBO was tested for acetic acid-induced colitis, and antioxidant systems were evaluated to clarify its possible mode of action. Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham control (Group I), colitis induced by acetic acid without any therapy (Group II), colitis induced by acetic acid and treated with HBO (Group III). HBO was given for 5 days, 2 sessions per day at 2.5-fold absolute atmosphere pressure (ATA) for a period of 90 min in rats in which colitis had been induced (Group III). Rats were sacrificed on the 5th day after the procedure. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH Px) activity were measured in the intestinal tissue and erythrocyte lysate. MDA and GSH Px were also determined in the plasma. Whereas MDA levels in erythrocyte, plasma and intestinal tissue were decreased, the levels of GSH Px and SOD were significantly increased in Group III as compared to those of Group II. The results of our study suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has beneficial effects on the course of experimental distal colitis and that antioxidant systems may be involved in its mode of action.


Key words
Distal colitis • Antioxidant enzymes • Hyperbaric oxygen


© 2004 by the Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences