Full Length Research Paper

Ozone concentration dependent autohaemotherapy effects on baboon antioxidant capacity and DNA integrity and repair capacity of lymphocytes

Christiaan F. Labuschagne, Gerda van Helden, Francois H. Van der Westhiuzen, Piet J. Pretorius and Harry F. Kotzé*

School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Subject group Biochemistry (Bussie 269), Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University, Private bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: Harry.Kotze@NWU.AC.ZA.

Abbreviations: ROS, Reactive oxygen species; PUFA’s, polyunsaturated fatty acids; LOP’s, lipid oxidation products; O₃-AHT, ozone autohaemotherapy.

Accepted 17 July, 2008

Although ozone is widely used as an alternative medicine, its safety and efficiency are met with scepticism. To shed some light on this, we assessed the effect of ozone-autohaemotherapy, using an O₂/O₃ gas mixture containing three different O₃ concentrations (20, 40 and 80 µg/ml), on the antioxidant status and lymphocyte DNA integrity in baboons. Ultra pure O₂ was used as a control because more than 95% of the O₂/O₃ gas mixture consisted of oxygen. Five percent of the blood volume of a baboon was withdrawn and treated with O₃. Baboons were anesthetized with intramuscular ketamine hydrochloride (±10 mg/kg). Blood was collected before ozone-autohaemotherapy and again 4, 24 and 48 h after treatment. In general, the changes in measurements were concentration dependant. Ozone-autohaemotherapy up regulated the antioxidant capacity as measured by the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay. Total glutathione levels decreased after ozone-autohaemotherapy, most likely due to reaction with reactive oxygen species that was quenched by the GSH system. The activity of superoxide dismutase increased after ozone-autohaemotherapy with 20 µg/ml O₃. Ozone-autohaemotherapy caused a slight increase in DNA damage. However, very little DNA damage occurred following treatment with 80 µg/ml O₃, which also caused the highest increase in the antioxidant capacity. DNA repair capacity decreased and thus can have severe long term effects.

Key words: Ozone, ozone-autohaemotherapy, antioxidant capacity, DNA damage, comet assay.