[Assessment of lipid peroxidation in hyperbaric oxygen therapy: protective role of N-acetylcysteine].

OBJECTIVE

To verify and quantify lipidic peroxidation by means of tiobarbituric-acid reactive substance (TBARS) dosage in patients treated daily with HBO. To verify if a potentiated glutathione enzymatic system, with N-acetylcisteine (NAC) treatment, may determine higher HBO tolerance and reduced lipidic peroxidation.

DESIGN

Randomised study on patients treated with 20 HBO 2.2 ATA (90' oxygen) sessions.

SETTING

Hyperbaric Medical Centre.

PATIENTS

Seventeen patients divided, at random, into two groups; group A: 10 patients treated with only HBO; group B: 7 patients treated with NAC antioxidant therapy (Fluimucil, Zambon Group, Italy) 1800 mg/day in addition to HBO.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

TBARS on blood sample at T0 (basal) T1 (at the end of the 1st HBO session) T2 (at the beginning of the 20th HBO session) T3 (at the end of the 20th). The group A TBARS analysis at the different study time has shown significant data (p < 0.01) as the difference between TBARS values of the two groups at T2 (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

HBO induces a lipidic peroxidation even if the therapeutical protocol cannot determine lung or cerebral oxygen toxicity symptoms. The NAC administration, during HBO treatment, determines a protection against the HBO radicalic stress.