Mild hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) enhances oxygen absorption in blood, relieving fatigue without causing oxidative stress. The benefits of mild HBO have been recognized in the treatment of lifestyle-related diseases and hypertension, but no research has been conducted on its effects on immunity. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of mild HBO on natural killer (NK) cells and cytokines in healthy young women. This crossover randomized control trial was conducted with 16 healthy young women. Participants were randomly exposed to normobaric oxygen (NBO; 1.0 atmospheres absolute (ATA), 20.8% oxygen) and mild HBO conditions (1.4 ATA, 35-40% oxygen, injected 18L oxygen per minute) in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for 70 min. Heart rate, parasympathetic activity, NK cell count, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12p70 and derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) were measured before and after both exposures. In the NBO condition, parasympathetic activity remained unchanged, whereas after mild HBO exposure, parasympathetic activity was significantly increased. NK cells remained unchanged after NBO exposure, while NK cells were increased after exposure to mild HBO. Exposure to mild HBO did not increase d-ROM values, IL-6 and IL-12p70 protein levels. These findings suggest that exposure to mild HBO can be a useful protocol to increase NK cells by regulating parasympathetic activity via increasing oxygen delivery.
Keywords: CD56; cytokines; innate immunity; mild hyperbaric oxygen; natural killer cells; oxidative stress; parasympathetic activity.