Effects of mud-pack treatment on plasma cytokine and soluble adhesion molecule levels in healthy volunteers

Abstract Background : The suggested hypothesis of a direct anti-inflammatory property of mud-pack treatment has led us to speculate that its action on the cytokine network might counteract the heat-stress-related effects on platelet and endothelial cell function often reported following hot-spring baths. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of a cycle of 12 daily mud-pack treatments on bio-humoral markers of inflammation, as well as on markers of in vivo platelet and/or endothelial cell activation, in plasma samples obtained from healthy volunteers. Methods : Blood samples were obtained before ( T 0 ), at the end of the first treatment ( T 1 ) and after a cyc…