Havana Research Institute

There is some anecdotal evidence that oxygen-ozone therapy may be beneficial in some human diseases. However so far only a few biochemical and pharmacodynamic mechanisms have been elucidated. On the basis of preliminary data we postulated that controlled ozone administration would promote an oxidative preconditioning preventing the hepatocellular damage mediated by free radicals. Six groups of rats were classified as follows: (1) negative control, using intraperitoneal sunflower oil; (2) positive control using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) as an oxidative challenge; (3) oxygen-ozone, pretreatment via rectal insufflation (15 sessions) and after it, CCl4; (4) oxygen, as group 3 but using oxygen only; (5) control oxygen-ozone, as group 3, but without CCl4; group (6) control oxygen, as group 5, but using oxygen only. We have evaluated critical biochemical parameters such as levels of transaminase, cholinesterase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, phospholipase A, calcium dependent ATPase, reduced glutathione, glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase and lipid peroxidation. Interestingly, in spite of CCl4 administration, group 3 did not differ from group 1, while groups 2 and 4 showed significant differences from groups 1 and 3 and displayed hepatic damage. To our knowledge these are the first experimental results showing that repeated administration of ozone in atoxic doses is able to induce an adaptation to oxidative stress thus enabling the animals to maintain hepatocellular integrity after CCl4 poisoning.

Effects of caffeine on methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-induced embryolethality and chromosomal aberrations in hepatocytes of mouse embryos were examined. MMS was given intraperitoneally but caffeine subcutaneously on day 12 of gestation. Embryolethality was checked on day 18 of gestation but chromosomal aberrations at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48 hours after administration of drugs. The dose of MMS was chosen, which caused severe embryolethality but not any observed chromosomal aberrations. The simultaneous administration of caffeine reduced the embryolethality of MMS while the frequency of chromosomal aberrations increased significantly. The reduction of the embryolethality of MMS may be ascribe to the toxic effects of MMS which must be antagonized by caffeine.

The alcohol extracts freshly prepared from gamma-irradiated potatoes were examined for their mutagenic activity in bacterial and mammalian cell systems. Negative results were obtained from all following test systems: Mutation assays with Salmonella typhimurium His- strains such as TA 100, TA 98, TA 1535, TA 1537, and streptomycin-dependent mutant (SMd) strain, TA 100-10, inductests with Escherichia coli strains, K 12 GY 5027 and K 12 C600, chromosomal aberration tests with Chinese hamster cells in culture, as well as micronucleus tests in mice. In addition, no difference in the mutagenic activities was found between extracts prepared from the irradiated and the unirradiated potatoes, suggesting that no mutagenic substance was produced in potatoes following gamma-irradiation.