HBOT - Free Radicals. Enhances Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)

Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme that repairs cells and reduces the damage done to them by superoxide, the most common free radical in the body. SOD is found in both the dermis and the epidermis, and is key to the production of healthy fibroblasts (skin-building cells).

Studies have shown that SOD acts as both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in the body, neutralizing the free radicals that can lead to wrinkles and precancerous cell changes. Researchers are currently studying the potential of superoxide dismutase as an anti-aging treatment, since it is now known that SOD levels drop while free radical levels increase as we age.

Once in circulation in the bloodstream, these powerful antioxidants go to work detoxifying potentially harmful substances and reducing oxidative stress that might otherwise contribute to aging. 

Superoxide Dismutase has also been used to treat arthritis, prostate problems, corneal ulcers, burn injuries, inflammatory diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and long-term damage from exposure to smoke and radiation, and to prevent side effects of cancer drugs. In its topical form, it may help to reduce facial wrinkles, scar tissue, heal wounds and burns, lighten dark or hyperpigmentation, and protect against harmful UV rays.

Superoxide dismutase is arguably the body’s most crucial antioxidant, as it is responsible for disarming the most dangerous free radicals of all: the highly reactive superoxide radicals. Superoxide radicals, or anions (negatively charged atoms), are produced when oxygen gains an excess electron.

SOD is responsible for catalyzing the conversion of superoxide to elemental oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. This transformation is called dismutation, hence the enzyme’s name.

As another example, consider the visible effects of free radical damage to collagen, which forms the skin’s “scaffolding.” Healthy collagen is responsible for the skin’s elasticity and, to no small degree, its youthful appearance. As we age, internally generated reactive oxygen species gradually damage the molecular structure of collagen, eventually producing outward signs of aging such as skin wrinkling and sagging. 

For the first time, scientists at the University of Aarhus in Denmark have shown that SOD plays an important role in preventing this damage from occurring.

There is a direct correlation between the oxidative stress and the Free-Radical Theory of Aging. Appropriate levels of oxygen free radicals can facilitate tissue metabolism and cell detoxification, but excessive oxygen free radicals will damage the body.

Hyperbaric Oxygen increases the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which is important for scavenging free radicals. Thus, the net effect is an increase in oxygen and a reduction in oxygen free radicals, which then protects the body from the effects of aging including the effects of the aging skin.