The Biochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Ozone: The Smell of Protection in Acute and Chronic Diseases.

Rosaria Di Mauro,Daniela Nicolosi,Michelino Di Rosa,Nunzio Vicario,Mariarita Spampinato,Roberto Avola,Maria Gulino,Daniele Tibullo,Lucia Longhitano,Giuseppina Cantarella,Ignazio Barbagallo,Giovanni Li Volti,Giacomo Lazzarino,Renato Bernardini,Alfio Distefano

doi:10.3390/ijms20030634

Abstract

Ozone therapy has been widely used in everyday clinical practice over the last few years, leading to significant clinical results in the treatment of herniated discs and pain management. Nevertheless, further studies have demonstrated its potential efficacy and safety under other clinical and experimental conditions. However, some of these studies showed controversial results regarding the safety and efficacy of ozone therapy, thus mining its potential use in an everyday clinical practice. To this regard, it should be considered that extensive literature review reported the use of ozone in a significant different dose range and with different delivery systems. The aim of the present review is to describe the various pharmacological effects of ozone in different organs and clinical conditions and to provide possible biochemical and molecular insights for ozone biological properties, thus providing a possible explanation for various controversial clinical outcomes described in the scientific literature.

Highlights

The aim of the present review is to describe the various pharmacological effects of ozone in different organs and clinical conditions and to provide possible biochemical and molecular insights for ozone biological properties, providing a possible explanation for various controversial clinical outcomes described in the scientific literature
The first identification of ozone as a distinct chemical compound was done by Schönbein at the local Naturforschung Gesellschaft in Basel showing that following electrolysis, water emanated an odour at the catode defined as “the odour of electrical matter” which was later on defined by Schönbein as “ozone”, from the Greek ozein
This hypothesis was further validated in the late 19th century, when several reports showed the oxidation of a large number of organic compounds and the inactivation of bacterial contaminants in sewage following ozone exposure

Summary

Introduction

The first identification of ozone as a distinct chemical compound was done by Schönbein at the local Naturforschung Gesellschaft in Basel showing that following electrolysis, water emanated an odour at the catode defined as “the odour of electrical matter” which was later on defined by Schönbein as “ozone”, from the Greek ozein (odorant) He suggested that ozone, besides being an oxidant, may be exploited as a strong disinfectant. The pharmacological properties of ozone are depending on ozone being a triatomic oxygen molecule, reacting with organic compounds containing double bonds and adding the three oxygen atoms to the unsaturated bond with the formation of ozonides. The lipid chains are fragmented with a loss of their hydrophobic character and are transformed into hydrophilic components

Ozone Therapy and Pulmonary Diseases

Ozone Therapy and Skin Diseases

Conclusions