ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Environmental, Aviation and Space Physiology
Effects of hyperbaric air exposure with oxygen breathing during decompression on the exhaled volatile organic compounds
- HZ
Haoze Zheng 1
- CL
Chenglong Li 2
- WL
Wenwu Liu 1
- KW
Kun Wang 2
- JH
Jia He 1
- SW
Shifeng Wang 1
1. Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, Naval Medical Center,, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
2. School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
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Abstract
Abstract This study aimed to characterize dynamic changes in exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during hyperbaric air exposure and decompression and to determine whether oxygen breathing during decompression modified these changes. Seventeen adult divers completed two hyperbaric air exposures at 30 m (400 kPa), separated by one week. During the first session, decompression was performed while breathing air; during the second session, the divers breathed 100% oxygen for 30 min at 18 m during decompression. Exhaled breath samples were collected before exposure (Pre), immediately before decompression (Mid), and after chamber exit (Post). Under the air-breathing decompression condition, 1-heptene, n-heptane, and carbon disulfide increased from Pre to Mid, whereas isoprene and methylcyclohexane decreased. Under the oxygen-breathing decompression condition, acetone, dimethyl sulfide, and isoprene decreased from Pre to Mid; these changes occurred before oxygen breathing and therefore reflected responses during the hyperbaric air exposure phase. During air-breathing decompression, 1-heptene, n-heptane, 2-butanone, and carbon disulfide decreased from Mid to Post, whereas 1-pentene/(E/Z)-2-pentene and isoprene increased. Under the oxygen-breathing decompression condition, acrolein increased significantly from Mid to Post. The Mid-to-Post fold changes in 1-heptene, carbon disulfide, 1-pentene/(E/Z)-2-pentene, n-heptane, and acrolein were significantly different between two groups, but no marked differences were observed after FDR correction. These findings suggest that hyperbaric air exposure itself induces early changes in exhaled VOC profiles and that oxygen breathing during decompression is associated with distinct post-decompression dynamics of specific hydrocarbons, oxygenated compounds, and sulfur-containing compounds. These changes may reflect early oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and energy metabolic responses. Exhaled VOC analysis may therefore provide a promising non-invasive approach for monitoring early physiological responses to hyperbaric exposure and decompression in divers.
Summary
Keywords
Diving, exhaled breath, hyperbaric exposure, oxygen-breathing decompression, Volatile Organic Compounds
Received
28 May 2026
Accepted
03 August 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Zheng, Li, Liu, Wang, He and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Shifeng Wang
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