To what extent does ozone therapy need a real biochemical control system? Assessment and importance of oxidative stress.

Ozone therapy is not officially allowed in many countries, but private medical services are using this therapy worldwide. However, appropriate control systems to assess the benefits and risks of systemic ozone therapy are not always used and in such cases the treatment is based on anecdotal reports. Oxidative stress phenomenon is becoming a highlighted biological process for ozone therapy because it is deeply involved in its mechanism of action. On the contrary, ozone therapy is an efficient regulator of the oxidative stress processes. In terms of therapeutic effects, it is convenient to know the metabolic status of the organism to face new oxidative challenges before and during ozone therapy applications. Oxidative stress is also important because it is involved as a cause or effect of many diseases. Since the 1990s, there has been the necessity of developing reliable systems for measuring oxidative stress in humans. In this sense, we have proposed a system for oxidative stress diagnosis that can serve as a control system for systemic ozone therapy applications. The system is based on the blood measurement of eight biomarkers (GSH, GPx, GST, SOD, CAT, DC, SRATB, and HPT) and the interpretation of these values by a computer-developed algorithm yielding four new indices (total antioxidant activity, total prooxidant activity, redox index and grade of oxidative stress). The system shows the patient's redox status and estimation of the oxidative stress level, with this information being relevant regarding implications on dosage and therapeutic effectiveness of ozone therapy.