Daily Oxygen/O3 Treatment Reduces Muscular Fatigue and Improves Cardiac Performance in Rats Subjected to Prolonged High Intensity Physical Exercise.

Rats receiving daily intraperitoneal administration of O2 and running on a treadmill covered an average distance of 482.8 ± 21.8 m/week as calculated during 5-week observation. This distance was increased in rats receiving daily intraperitoneal administration of an oxygen/O3 mixture at a dose of 100; 150; and 300 µg/kg with the maximum increase being +34.5% at 300 µg/kg and still present after stopping the administration of oxygen/O3. Oxygen/O3 decreased the mean arterial blood pressure (-13%), the heart rate (-6%), the gastrocnemius and cardiac hypertrophy, and fibrosis and reduced by 49% the left ventricular mass and relative wall thickness measurements. Systolic and diastolic functions were improved in exercised oxygen/O3 rats compared to O2 rats. Oxygen/O3 treatment led to higher MPI index starting from the dose of 150 µg/kg (p < 0.05) and more effective (+14%) at a dose of 300 µg/kg oxygen/O3. Oxygen/O3 dose-dependently increased the expression of the antioxidant enzymes Mn-SOD and GPx1 and of eNOS compared to the exercised O2 rats. The same doses resulted in decrease of LDH levels, CPK, TnI, and nitrotyrosine concentration in the heart and gastrocnemius tissues, arguing a beneficial effect of the ozone molecule against the fatigue induced by a prolonged high intensity exercise.

Acute oxygen-ozone administration to rats protects the heart from ischemia reperfusion infarct.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: We tested here the effects of acute administration of an oxygen/ozone (O3) mixture on the myocardial tissue damage following an ischemic event. MATERIAL OR SUBJECTS: The study was done in Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). TREATMENT: 100; 150; and 300 microg/kg oxygen/O3 mixture were insufflated intraperitoneally 1 h prior to I/R. METHODS: Myocardial infarct size measurement and immunhistochemistry or ELISA for nitrotyrosine, CD68, CD8,CD4 and caspase-3 were done. RESULTS: I/R produced a marked damage in the rat left ventricle with an infarct size as percentage of the area at risk (IS/ AR) of approximately 45 +/- 4% . Rats insufflated with a oxygen/O3 mixture showed a significant 2-h cardio-protection (e. g. infarct size over area at risk for the dose of 300 microg/kg was approximately 30 +/- 3%,) as compared with control rats (P <0.01). This effect was paralleled by a decrease in tissue levels of immunostaining for biomarkers of nitrosative stress (nitrotyrosine), inflammation (CD68) and immunity response (CD8 and CD4) between heart tissues from infarcted rats and infarcted O3 treated rats. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the tissue and biochemical damages associated with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion can be counteracted by an acute O3 pretreatment.

Ozonized autohemotransfusion improves hemorheological parameters and oxygen delivery to tissues in patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease.

Twenty-seven subjects suffering from peripheral occlusive arterial disease (POAD, clinical stage II-III according to Fontaine) were enrolled in this study to evaluate the effect of oxygen-ozone therapy upon hemorheological parameters and hemoglobin-oxygen affinity in patients with POAD. All patients underwent a major ozonized autohemotransfusion consisting of the slow reinfusion of 100 ml of autologous blood, previously exposed to a O(2)-O(3) mixture in a glass box for 10 min. Whole blood viscosity, erythrocyte filterability, hematocrit, and fibrinogen levels were assessed at the basal time and 30 min after the reinfusion of ozonized blood. At the same time p50 standard (p50std) values (an indicator of hemoglobin-oxygen affinity) and plasma values of malonyl dialdehyde (MDA, an indicator of lipid peroxidation) were evaluated. At the baseline, patients had significantly higher ( p<0.05- p<0.001) whole blood viscosity, MDA, and p50std values and significantly lower blood filterability ( p<0.01) as compared with 20 matched healthy volunteers (controls). Thirty minutes after the end of a major autohemotransfusion, whole blood viscosity significantly decreased ( p<0.01). This was accompanied by a significant fall in plasma fibrinogen level ( p<0.01) with no change in hematocrit. Blood filterability, MDA plasma level, and p50std values increased significantly at the same time ( p<0.01- p<0.005). The 2,3-DPG value did not change significantly. No significant changes occurred when the same patients received a non-ozonized autohemotransfusion (control test). In conclusion, ozonized autohemotransfusion may be useful to improve both the poor rheological properties of the blood and the oxygen delivery to tissues in patients suffering from POAD.

1H NMR ganglioside ceramide resonance region on the differential diagnosis of low and high malignancy of brain gliomas.

1. The high-resolution 1H NMR (MRS) spectra of human brain tumor homogenates revealed a broad resonance at 5.3-5.4 ppm in glioblastoma multiforme (N = 16) and brain metastases (N = 3). The broad resonance was identified as ceramide, a sphingosine-fatty acid combination portion of ganglioside, indicating an elevated abundance of monounsaturated fatty acids. GLC analysis of gangliosides in the highly malignant glioblastoma multiforme revealed that the elevated monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid (C18:1). The resonance at 5.3-5.4 ppm region was not detectable in normal human brain (N = 2), in meningiomas (N = 2), or in low-grade astrocytomas (N = 12). In normal human brain the abundance of monounsaturated fatty acid is minimal. 2. This investigation was made possible because the method of producing homogenate resulted in (i) no loss of lipids during the process and (ii) a well-homogenised sample, with (iii) no loss in chemical integrity. 3. The properties of tumor gangliosides include antigenic specificity and immunosuppressive activity and the ceramide, a sphingosine-fatty acid combination, noticeably influences the ganglioside immunosuppressive activity. 4. The observation of 1H NMR ceramide resonance in high-malignant brain tumors emphasizes the dramatic role of aberant gangliosides and ceramide precursors on the grade of malignancy and invasiveness. 5. Further insight into the specific nature of the ceramide portion of gangliosides in grading the malignancy of brain tumors should be investigated further.