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Updated: Aug 22, 2026
In Vivo Assessment of Alveolar Macrophage Efferocytosis Following Ozone Exposure
Published on: October 22, 2019
Pre-treatment with ozonized oxygen (O3) aggravates inflammation in septic rats
A Torossian1, S Ruehlmann, L Eberhart
1Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, University of Marburg, Baldingerstrasse 1, 35033, Marburg, Germany. torossia@med.uni-marburg.de.
Objective And Design:
Ozone is produced by neutrophils during bacterial killing. Its application was found to be beneficial in peritonitis patients. Therefore, we measured survival and cytokines after ozone pre-treatment in septic rats.
Subjects And Treatment:
With approval, 40 male Wistar-rats were allocated to 1) ozone pre-treatment for five days before intra-abdominal sepsis, or 2) no pre-treatment.
Methods:
The primary endpoint was mortality at 120 h. Secondary endpoints were plasma cytokine levels.
Results:
In the control group mortality was 50% (10/20 rats). After ozone pre-treatment, survival was only 35% (7/20 rats, Log-Rank test: P = 0.10). Ozone increased TNF-alpha and MIP-2 after infection: 127 +/- 23 pg/ml and 94 +/- 19 pg/ml (control group: 398 pg/ml and 369 pg/ml; P < 0.002 and P < 0.01). IL-6 levels were similar in both groups.
Conclusions:
Ozone pre-treatment was pro-inflammatory in sepsis with a trend to reduced survival. Therefore, its effects in sepsis should be further evaluated in animal trials.
