Studies on mammalian intestinal peroxidase.

A peroxidase, purified from rat small intestine to apparent homogeneity as judged by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, exhibited an absorbance ratio (A412/A280) of 0.783. Its Mr (44000 +/- 1000) and spectral properties were similar to those of the pig intestinal enzyme. The velocity constant for the reaction between rat intestinal peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide was found to be 1.8 x 10(7) M-1 . s-1. Benzhydroxamic acid inhibited the peroxidative oxidation of guaiacol by intestinal peroxidase from both species but the concentration required to cause half-inhibition of the enzyme from the rat was higher by one order of magnitude than for the pig enzyme. The amino acid composition of highly-purified pig intestinal peroxidase showed a relative abundance of basic amino acids (lysine and arginine) and was similar to that of lactoperoxidase, but not that of myeloperoxidase. The initial ten amino acid residues of this enzyme (the first reported partial sequence for a mammalian peroxidase) were also determined.     

Studies on the biological effects of ozone: 10. Release of factors from ozonated human platelets

In a previous work we have shown that heparin, in the presence of ozone (O3), promotes a dose-dependent platelet aggregation, while after Ca2+ chelation with citrate, platelet aggregation is almost negligible. These results led us to think that aggregation may enhance the release of platelet components. We have here shown that indeed significantly higher amount of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) are released in a dose-dependent manner after ozonation of heparinised platelet-rich plasma samples. These findings may explain the enhanced healing of torpid ulcers in patients with chronic limb ischemia treated with O3 autohaemoteraphy (O3-AHT).     

Studies on the biological effects of ozone: 11. Release of factors from human endothelial cells

BACKGROUND: Empirical observations have shown that ozonated autohemotherapy markedly improves the symptoms of chronic limb ischemia (muscular pain at rest, intermittent claudication, etc) in atherosclerotic patients, but mechanisms of action remain unclear. AIMS: Human endothelial cells (HUVECs) are known to release nitrogen monoxide (NO) and we investigated the biological effects of human ozonated serum on HUVECs in culture. METHODS: We assessed the relevance of peroxidation, the release of NO as nitrite and of three classical cytokines. RESULTS: The treatment of HUVECs with ozonated serum yields a dose dependent increase of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and a decrease of protein thiol groups (PTG). Concomitantly, in comparison to either the control or the oxygenated sample, there is a significant and steady increase of nitric oxide (NO) production; this is markedly enhanced by the addition of L-arginine (20 microM) and inhibited in the presence of the NO inhibitor, L-NAME (20 mM). The main mediator of ozone action is H2O2 as it has been shown either after its direct measurement or by the addition of 20, 40 and 100 microM. Moreover, during 24 hours incubation we have investigated the production of endothelin 1 (ET-1), E-selectin and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) and it appears that ozonation enhances IL-8, inhibits E-selectin and hardly modifies ET-1 production. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that reinfusion of ozonated blood, by enhancing release of NO, may induce vasodilation in ischemic areas and reduce hypoxia.