Double-blind Pilot Study on the Effect of Anionic Exposome Enrichment (Biow) on Recovery and Sleep Quality in Postoperative Patients

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

EOX Anion-Enriched Hospital Room: Participants are assigned to hospital rooms equipped with an operational EOX device, which actively regenerates air and releases bioavailable anions through cold atmospheric plasma. Exposure lasts for 96 hours postoperatively. The intervention aims to enhance postoperative recovery by modulating oxidative stress, improving mitochondrial function, and promoting sleep quality.

Study summary

Airborne nanoparticle exposure is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and low-grade systemic inflammation-factors that impair postoperative recovery. The World Health Organization and European initiatives such as the Human Exposome Project have highlighted the clinical importance of the exposome, defined as the totality of environmental exposures influencing health throughout life.

EOX is a CE-certified air regeneration system designed to modify the indoor exposome through a dual mechanism: advanced filtration and controlled emission of bioavailable anions using cold atmospheric plasma (CAP). Its multistage filter removes particulate matter, pathogens, and volatile organic compounds, while the anionic plasma phase modulates cellular oxidative balance and metabolic function.

Experimental and clinical data indicate that exposure to EOX improves mitochondrial efficiency, increases ATP production, and reduces oxidative protein damage. EOX has also been shown to influence molecular pathways involved in stress adaptation and repair, such as the HIF-1α-VEGF-EPO axis and protein synthesis signaling (e.g., mTOR-p70S6K). These mechanisms may collectively enhance tissue recovery, vascularization, and metabolic resilience in the postoperative setting.

The present study investigates the effects of EOX in hospitalized postoperative patients, evaluating both subjective (sleep quality, well-being) and objective (vital signs, metabolomics, microbiota composition) endpoints. The central hypothesis is that EOX induces a beneficial hormetic response-an adaptive reaction to mild environmental stressors-reflected by improved clinical recovery and biomarker modulation (e.g., succinate reduction, increased ATPase activity). The goal is to assess whether EOX can serve as an effective environmental intervention to support physiological healing and improve the quality of inpatient recovery.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Hormetic clinical response associated with EOX exposure during the first 96 hours post-surgery — Baseline (day 0) to 96 hours post-intervention
  Evaluation of the adaptive (hormetic) biological response induced by anion-enriched air using EOX. This will be assessed through: * 10% increase in plasma ATPase activity, and/or * 10% decrease in plasma succinate levels, and/or * 10% increase in uninterrupted sleep hours (based on sleep diary and nursing records), during the 96-hour postoperative hospital stay.

Trial sites (1)

More Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de la Fundación Jiménez Díaz trials in Spain