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“In dermatology, “the universality” of ozone therapy is explained by the physicochemical properties of medical ozone and a wide range of its therapeutic effects including: bactericidal, viricidal, fungicidal, anti-inflammatory, stimulating and immunomodulating properties. More often than not, ozone therapy is used in the company of traditional methods to speed up the healing process, but it can also be used as a mono-method.”(1)
One of the central mechanisms of positive action of O3 in different diseases is correction of hypoxic conditions by increasing deformability of the erythrocytes, partial oxygen tension in arterial blood, by improving release of oxygen by oxyhemoglobin.
Immunomodulating effects of ozone therapy are related to an increase in the production of cytokines. Of particular interest is the report of H. Kief (1993) about an increase in the level of interleukin 2 and gamma-interferon through ozone therapy provided to patients with allergosis (food allergy, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis).
The investigation into the effect of ozone therapy on the course of HIV-infection was a starting point for studying the mechanism of immunocorrective properties of O3. The results of the experiments “in vitro” have shown that ozone is able to inactivate extracellular HIV in the organism’s liquids and suppress the growth of intracellular HIV in concentrations being safe for cells. It has been established that the antiviral effect of ozone includes destruction of virus particles, inactivation of reverse transcriptase and disability of virus to adhere its receptor to target cells.
Nowadays, ozone therapy of atopic dermatitis is performed in the form of minor ozonated autohaemotherapy, rectal insufflations of O2/O3 gas mixtures, intravenous infusions of ozonated saline solution, major ozonated autohaemotherapy, applications with ozonized olive oil. Thanks to similar etiology and pathogenesis ozone therapy is effective in another allergodermia as well, in particular – eczema. The generally accepted method of laboratory control over efficiency and safety of ozone therapy is determination of lipid peroxidation products, spectrum of enzymatic antioxidants, in particular superoxiddismutase and catalase of the erythrocytes and integral index – total antioxidant plasma activity.
The ability of ozone to inactivate viruses is used in the treatment of dermatosis of viral etiology, in particular herpes, the method of choice is major ozonated autohaemotherapy. J.Delgano et al. (1997) reported about efficiency of subcutaneous injections of O2/O3 in the treatment of pemphigus.
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