V. Bocci et al., STUDIES ON THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF OZONE .3. AN ATTEMPT TO DEFINE CONDITIONS FOR OPTIMAL INDUCTION OF CYTOKINES, Lymphokine and cytokine research, 12(2), 1993, pp. 121-126
Ozonization of blood, normally carried out with citrated blood, may be
fine for the autohemotherapy of ischemic diseases but it may be at a
loss when employed in viral diseases or in immunodeficiencies. We have
shown that heparin, used as an anticoagulant, with the addition of 5
mM CaCl2 favors production of cytokines by leukocytes with only a mode
st increase in hemolysis. High plasmatic levels of glucose, glutathion
e, and ascorbic acid decrease cytokine's yield because these compounds
act as antioxidants and quench the inducing activity of ozone. Autohe
motherapy with heparinized and Ca2+-supplemented blood has not reveale
d any side effects in volunteers.