Effect of ozone therapy on redox status in experimentally induced arthritis

Resumen

Controlled ozone administration has been shown to promote an adaptation to oxidative
stress by increasing endogenous antioxidant systems. In the present study, the effects
of O2/O3 administration either prophylactically or therapeutically on the alterations of
oxidant status in adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats have been studied. Seven groups
of rats were used: 1) normal control group; 2) control arthritic group (21 days); 3) prophylactic
ozone group: arthritic rats received fifteen intra-rectal applications of O2/O3
at 0.5, 0.7 and 1 mg/kg b.w. in a 5-6 mL volume starting one day before adjuvant inoculation
and continued as five applications/week over 21 days; 4) oxygen group: received
oxygen (vehicle of ozone) in a similar schedule to group 3; 5) control arthritic
group (24 days); 6) therapeutic-ozone group: arthritic rats received 10 intra-rectal applications
of O2/O3 at 0.5, 0.7 and 1 mg/kg b. w. in a 5-6 mL volume daily for 10 days
starting fourteen days after adjuva nt i noculation; 7) oxygen-trea ted group: received
oxygen in a similar schedule of group 6. The effect of O2/O3 administration was assessed
by measuring: bloo d glutathione (GSH ), erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase
and catalase activities, serum levels of protein thiols (PrSH), malondialdehyde (MDA)
and nitrite/nitrate (NO2/NO3), as well as serum ceruloplasmin activity (CP). The present
study showed that adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats caused a significant (p<0.05)
reduction in blood GSH, serum PrSH levels and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities
a ccompanied b y a significant (p<0 .05) i ncreas e in s erum le vels of MDA,
NO2/NO3 and CP activity. Ozone administration either prophylactically or therapeutically
normalize blood GSH, serum PrSH and MDA levels and restored erythrocyte antioxidant
enzyme activities. However ozone did not significantly (p>0.05) modify serum
NO2/NO3 level in induced rat but significant (p<0.05) increase CP activity. So it could
be concluded that O2/O3 oxidative preconditioning / postconditioning effectively modulate
the antioxidant/oxidant balance associated with adjuvant arthritis model in rats.