Ozone is one of the most powerful
oxidants available, with many applications in industry and medicine. Medically relevant features of
ozone include bacterial and virucidal properties, disinfection, sterilization, circulatory stimulation, and disruption of malignant cells.
Ozone therapy is administered in various ways, including intravenously, intramuscularly, and intrarectally. The latter modality is used for the treatment of
colitis and
hepatitis. Our aim was to examine the effect of
ozone water
enema on normal and inflamed rat colonic mucosa.
Ozone water (20 microg/ml) was prepared via
ozone generator and administered intrarectally (0.5 ml) daily. Rats were killed one, three, and seven days after rectal
ozone water administration, and their colons resected, rinsed, and weighed (grams per 10 cm). Damage was assessed macro- and microscopically and tissue processed for
myeloperoxidase and
nitric oxide synthase activity. Rats receiving saline served as controls. In an additional experiment
colitis was induced by intrarectal
iodoacetamide.
Ozone therapy caused no macroscopic damage.
Ozone therapy induced
microscopic colitis, which lasted for at least a week and was accompanied by increase in segmental weight,
myeloperoxidase and
nitric oxide activity, and
prostaglandin E2 generation.
Ozone therapy had no protective effect on inflamed mucosa. In conclusion,
ozone water
therapy had a deleterious effect on normal colonic mucosa, suggesting intrarectal administration be reevaluated.
Ozone water
enema may serve as a model of
microscopic colitis.