Oxygen Therapy Applications in Wound Healing

Oxygen is fundamental to all phases of wound repair, from haemostasis and inflammation through to proliferation and remodelling. In chronic or non-healing wounds—such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure sores and venous leg ulcers—local hypoxia impedes cellular respiration, angiogenesis and collagen synthesis, prolonging tissue damage and elevating infection risk. Therapeutic interventions aim to restore adequate oxygen tension at the wound bed, promoting keratinocyte migration, fibroblast proliferation and new vessel formation. Established modalities include hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which delivers high-pressure oxygen via inhalation, and topical oxygen therapy (TOT), which provides oxygen directly at the wound interface. Recent advances have centred on biomaterial-based carriers to modulate oxygen release kinetics, and on novel photosynthetic or microalgal systems capable of in situ oxygen generation. These approaches seek to overcome the limitations of short infusion times, uneven oxygen distribution and biosafety concerns, with a view to more sustained and targeted oxygen delivery. Integration with bioengineered scaffolds and dressings has yielded multifunctional platforms that combine structural support, antimicrobial activity and controlled oxygen release. Collectively, these therapies hold promise for improving healing rates, reducing healthcare costs and addressing a growing global burden of chronic wound management.

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Oxygen Therapy Applications in Wound Healing publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in oxygen therapy applications in wound healing across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Chronic wound: A lesion that fails to progress through orderly reparative stages and remains unhealed for more than three months.

Hypoxia: A deficiency of oxygen at the tissue level that impairs cellular metabolism and regenerative processes.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT): A treatment in which patients breathe pure oxygen within a pressurised chamber to increase systemic oxygen delivery.

Topical oxygen therapy (TOT): The direct application of oxygen gas or oxygen-rich formulations to the wound surface to raise local oxygen tension.

Oxygen-releasing biomaterials (ORBMs): Engineered materials incorporating oxygen carriers or generators designed to deliver oxygen in a controlled manner at the wound site.

Artificial photosynthetic system: A light-activated assembly of catalysts or microalgae that converts water into molecular oxygen for therapeutic use.

References

1. Hypoxic environment of wounds and photosynthesis-based oxygen therapy. Burns & Trauma (2024).
2. Oxygen-releasing biomaterials for chronic wounds breathing: From theoretical mechanism to application prospect. Materials Today Bio (2023).
3. Advances in Gas Therapeutics for Wound Healing: Mechanisms, Delivery Materials, and Prospects. Small Structures (2023).
4. Fabrication of Oxygen Releasing Scaffold by Embedding H2O2-PLGA Microspheres into Alginate-Based Hydrogel Sponge and Its Application for Wound Healing. Applied Sciences (2018).
5. A First in Human Trial Implanting Microalgae Shows Safety of Photosynthetic Therapy for the Effective Treatment of Full Thickness Skin Wounds. Frontiers in Medicine (2021).
6. Topical Wound Oxygen Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers. Medicina (2021).