Authors: N Di Paolo, E Gaggiotti, F Galli
PMID: 16156950 – DOI: 10.1179/135100005X38888
Abstract
Several lines of research suggest that the interaction between pro-oxidants such as ozone and biological antioxidants may induce a controlled oxidative stimulus with potential therapeutic relevance in certain immune disorders and chronic degenerative diseases. Immune and endothelial cells are considered primary targets of the beneficial molecular effects generated by ozone and its reactive derivatives during blood ozonation.
Based on these principles—despite longstanding skepticism and concerns regarding toxicity—ozone has been administered through autohemotherapy (AHT) for approximately four decades, yielding encouraging clinical observations. Nevertheless, broader clinical validation and standardization of AHT remain limited.
More recently, a novel and potentially more effective method of ozone therapy has been developed: extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation (EBOO). Initially evaluated in vitro and subsequently in animal models and human subjects (over 1,200 procedures conducted in 82 patients), EBOO employs a high-efficiency system that allows treatment of up to 4,800 ml of heparinized blood during one hour of extracorporeal circulation using an oxygen–ozone mixture (0.5–1 μg/ml oxygen). In contrast, conventional AHT typically treats approximately 250 ml of blood per session. The EBOO protocol can also be integrated into hemodialysis systems. A standard treatment cycle spans seven weeks, comprising 14 one-hour sessions.
Following EBOO treatment, ozone–blood interactions lead to a four- to fivefold increase in thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and a corresponding reduction in plasma protein thiol levels, without significant erythrocyte hemolysis. Preliminary in vitro findings suggest that these laboratory markers may serve as practical indicators for monitoring biological response to therapy.
Clinical experience to date indicates promising therapeutic potential for EBOO in patients with severe peripheral arterial disease, coronary artery disease, cholesterol embolism, advanced dyslipidemia, Madelung disease, and sudden vascular-origin hearing loss. Ongoing investigations, including oxidative stress biomarker analysis and controlled clinical trials, aim further to validate the safety and efficacy of this technique.
Source: PubMed Central
