Extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation (EBOO): a controlled trial in patients with peripheral artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Since 1990 our group has been using extracorporeal circulation to ozonate blood by an original method, known as extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation (EBOO), with the aim of amplifying the results observed with ozone autohemotherapy. OBJECTIVE: To verify the hypothesis that EBOO improves the skin lesions typical of peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with PAD were randomized to receive EBOO or intravenous prostacyclin in a controlled clinical trial. The primary efficacy parameters were regression of skin lesions and pain,and improvement in quality of life and vascularisation. RESULTS: Patients treated with EBOO showed highly significant regression of skin lesions with respect to patients treated with prostacyclin. Other parameters that were significantly different in the two groups of patients were pain,pruritus, heavy legs and well-being. No significant differences in vascularisation of the lower limbs before and after treatment were found in either group. No side effects or complications were recorded during the 210 EBOO treatments. CONCLUSION: EBOO was much more effective than prostacyclin for treating skin lesions in PAD patients and also had a positive effect on patient general condition without any apparent change in arterial circulation. This suggests other mechanisms of action of EBOO.

Capsaicin pretreatment does not alter rat urinary bladder motor responses induced by a kinin B1 receptor agonist after endotoxin treatment.

The kinin B1 receptor is generally expressed after inflammation or tissue injury. Kinin B1 receptor stimulation induces excitatory motor responses in the urinary bladder and, in this preparation, the effect of many excitatory transmitters involves the stimulation of capsaicin-sensitive afferent nerves. In this study we have investigated the effect of capsaicin pretreatment on the bladder contractions induced by [Sar0, D-Phe8, des-Arg9]bradykinin (SDABK), a kinin B1 receptor agonist, by inducing the expression of B1 receptors via the intravesical administration of a bacterial endotoxin (LPS, 1 mg/ml) in urethane-anaesthetized rats. Three and half hours after LPS, the bladder was filled with saline until the micturition reflex was evoked, then 0.15 ml of saline was withdrawn, in order to avoid spontaneous reflex contractions. In LPS-pretreated rats the threshold volume for micturition was lower than in the control group (248 +/- 44 vs. 534 +/- 112 microl). After capsaicin pretreatment the bladder capacity was increased in both control and LPS-treated groups and the LPS-induced hyperreflexia was abolished (threshold volumes: 901 +/- 96 vs. 837 +/- 120 microl, respectively). The administration of SDABK (30 nmol/kg i.v., 4 h after LPS or saline application) produced a local, low amplitude tonic contraction (< 15 mmHg) or a tonic contraction with superimposed high amplitude (> or = 15 mmHg) reflex contractions but no effect of LPS or capsaicin pretreatment was observed in the incidence of these responses. The amplitude of the local response was increased by LPS treatment (1.4 +/- 0.3 vs. 4.0 +/- 0.7 mmHg) but capsaicin pretreatment did not modify this effect (2.3 +/- 0.4 vs. 4.3 +/- 0.6 mmHg). Likewise, the number of reflex contractions induced by SDABK was increased after LPS treatment (1.1 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.7 +/- 0.5) irrespective of capsaicin pretreatment (1.3 +/- 0.4 vs. 2.8 +/- 0.6). These results indicate that: (1) topical application of LPS induces a bladder hyperreflexia that is sensitive to capsaicin pretreatment; (2) B1 receptor-mediated motor responses (either reflex or local) are enhanced after LPS treatment; (3) capsaicin pretreatment does not modify B1 receptor-mediated motor response (either reflex or local).