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Authors & Affiliations
Dragica Selakovic, Nemanja Jovicic, Bojana Krstic, Milos Krstic, Sara Rosic, Gvozden Rosic
Abstract
Aims: Psychiatric morbidity and functional limitations are widespread in patients with thermal skin injury. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) and antioxidant supplementation have been adjunctive therapy to promote wound healing. We evaluated the effects of HBO (100% O2 at 2.5 ATA for 60 minutes) and the antioxidant supplementation – Filipendula ulmaria (FU) extract (100 mg/kg b.w.), individually, in the treatment of anxiety-like behavior that occurs along the thermal skin injury in rat for seven days. Methods: Anxiety level estimation was performed in the open field and the elevated plus maze test. Hippocampal tissue samples were collected to determine markers of inflammation (IL-6 and TNF-α), apoptosis (Bax, Bcl-2), as well as receptors involved in pain control (µ, δ, and κ opioid receptors; melatonin receptors – MT1 and MT2), BDNF, and GABA-A receptors. Results: Both individually applied protocols attenuated the anxiogenic response to thermal skin injury, but the most pronounced anxiolytic effect was achieved with the simultaneous administration of HBO and antioxidant supplementation. This could be attributed to their anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic actions in the hippocampal tissue that were accompanied by nociception-related receptor expression alterations (increase in MT1, MT2, µ, and δ opioid receptors). Simultaneously, the applied wound-healing protocols increased the hippocampal BDNF and GABA-AR expression, which may be a direct trigger for anxiolytic outcome. Conclusions: The presented results allow evidence for the advantages of the simultaneous employment of HBO and FU supplementation in the treatment of the anxiety-like behavior that parallels the thermal skin injury.