Nanobubbles and Fibroblast Growth: An In Vitro Study on Cell Migration and Proliferation

Authors
Journal
Cureus
Year
DOI
10.7759/cureus.74775
Study Type
Cell Culture
Outcome
Neutral
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Japan
Health Condition
Wound healing impairment
Body System
Integumentary system

TL;DR

Ozone nanobubbles can harm skin cells important for healing, while hydrogen and oxygen nanobubbles don't, which is crucial for their use in treating wounds.

Key Finding

Ozone nanobubbles significantly reduced fibroblast cell density at 48 hours (p=0.005), showing toxic effects, while hydrogen and oxygen nanobubbles showed no statistically significant effects compared to control.

Summary

Researchers tested whether tiny bubbles of hydrogen, oxygen, and ozone could help cells called fibroblasts (which are important for wound healing) grow and move better. They grew these cells in a lab dish with each type of nanobubble and measured how many cells were present after 24 and 48 hours. Ozone nanobubbles killed fibroblast cells after 48 hours, but hydrogen and oxygen nanobubbles did not harm the cells or help them grow more than the control group.

Practical Takeaway

This laboratory study suggests hydrogen nanobubbles may be safe for fibroblast cells in a dish, but the research is very early-stage and only tested cells in a lab environment, not actual wound healing in humans. Much more research, including animal and human studies, would be needed before drawing any conclusions about whether hydrogen water or nanobubbles could help with wound healing.

Abstract

Nanobubbles are studied for their unique properties and possible applications in wound healing processes. This study investigates the effects of hydrogen (H₂), oxygen (O₂), and ozone (O₃) nanobubbles on fibroblast migration and proliferation using in vitro scratch wound healing assays. Fibroblast cells were treated with Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) combined with nanobubble solutions, and cell density was measured at 24 and 48 hours. While no significant difference was observed at 24 hours (p=0.52), ozone nanobubbles significantly reduced cell density at 48 hours (p=0.005), indicating cytotoxic effects. Hydrogen and oxygen nanobubble treatments did not show statistically significant differences from the control. These results highlight the cytotoxic effects of ozone nanobubbles on fibroblasts, which may impact their potential application in wound healing. While the study shows the cytotoxic effects of ozone nanobubbles, in vivo wound healing and antimicrobial impacts remain unexplored and warrant further study.