Daily Oxygen/O₃ Treatment Reduces Muscular Fatigue and Improves Cardiac Performance in Rats Subjected to Prolonged...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Biomedical Science
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Prolonged high-intensity exercise can induce fatigue and cardiovascular stress.
• Understanding interventions to mitigate exercise-induced fatigue is crucial for athletic performance and recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of oxygen/ozone (O2/O3) mixture administration on exercise performance and cardiovascular parameters in rats.
• To evaluate the impact of O2/O3 on exercise-induced cardiac and muscle tissue damage and oxidative stress.

Main Methods:

• Rats were administered oxygen (O2) or an oxygen/ozone (O2/O3) mixture intraperitoneally.
• Exercise performance was assessed via treadmill running distance over 5 weeks.
• Cardiovascular function, cardiac remodeling, and biochemical markers of tissue damage and oxidative stress were analyzed.

Main Results:

• O2/O3 administration dose-dependently increased exercise distance by up to 34.5%.
• O2/O3 treatment reduced mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac hypertrophy, and fibrosis.
• Improved systolic and diastolic functions, increased antioxidant enzyme expression (Mn-SOD, GPx1, eNOS), and decreased markers of tissue damage (LDH, CPK, TnI) were observed.

Conclusions:

• Oxygen/ozone therapy enhances exercise capacity and endurance in rats.
• O2/O3 treatment confers cardioprotective effects and mitigates exercise-induced oxidative stress and tissue damage.
• Ozone therapy shows potential as a beneficial intervention against fatigue induced by prolonged high-intensity exercise.