Ozone Therapy for COVID-19 Infection

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can lead to respiratory illnesses ranging from mild to severe, including fatalities. It has inflicted significant damage on the global economy. The most effective preventive measures include vaccination, wearing masks during high transmission periods, frequent handwashing, and avoiding contact with infected individuals [1]. According to the WHO, as of April 12, 2023, there have been 762,791,152 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 6,897,025 reported deaths globally. Up to April 10, 2023, a total of 13,340,275,493 vaccine doses have been administered [2].

Can vaccinated individuals still be infected by COVID-19?

Even vaccinated individuals can be infected by COVID-19. No vaccine is 100% effective. Vaccines significantly reduce the risk of illness and symptoms but do not eliminate the risk of infection [3]. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the body through the mouth, nose, or eyes (directly from airborne droplets or from contact transmission from hands to face) [4]. It then moves to the back of the nasal passage and the mucous membranes at the back of the throat. It attaches to cells there, replicates, and moves into lung tissue, from where it can spread to other parts of the body.

COVID-19 Treatment Methods

Treatment methods for COVID-19 vary based on the severity of symptoms. These methods include oxygen supplementation, monoclonal antibody infusions, antiviral medications that may reduce the risk of death in some COVID-19 patients, mechanical ventilation (oxygen via a tube down the windpipe), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) [5]. Furthermore, ozone therapy offers a potential treatment or prevention method for COVID-19 [6].

What is Ozone Therapy?

Ozone therapy involves using ozone-generating devices to increase oxygen levels in the body. Higher oxygen levels can boost your immune system and promote healing by cellular regeneration, replacing or repairing damaged cells [6, 7]. Ozone therapy can support the immune system, enhance immune capabilities, improve blood circulation by delivering more oxygen to cells, tissues, and organs [8], and protect against invasion by bacteria, viruses, and fungi by inhibiting their growth [9].

Using Ozone Therapy for COVID-19 Treatment

The potential preventive and antiviral effects of ozone therapy for COVID-19 operate through several mechanisms. Oxidation reactions generated by Ozone in the body stimulate cells, activate antioxidant systems, restore the immune system, and disrupt the virus’s replication cycle [10-12]. Ozone, as a molecule, can hinder virus activity and development by impacting the virus’s replication phase; this feature is related to Ozone’s ability to oxidize cysteine, forming disulfide bridges crucial to the virus’s structure. Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are rich in cysteine, and these structures need to remain intact for the virus to function  [11]. Ozone’s activity includes oxidizing and neutralizing specific virus receptors used to form cell membrane connections, thereby inhibiting the virus during its initial invasion of cells. Enzyme activity, like angiotensin 2 (ACE2) could be modulated and blocked through Nrf2 control. Ozone directly influences Nrf2 and might serve as an important mechanism in preventing COVID-19 replication by preventing contact with SARS-CoV-2 receptors  [13, 14]. NLRP3 induces inflammation in severe COVID-19 cases.

Ozone exhibits anti-inflammatory activity by modulating small NLRP3 streams. Consequently, it may protect against acute coronary syndrome and reperfusion injury due to local hypoxia in COVID-19-affected lungs, reducing inflammation via NLRP3 intermediates, enhancing Nrf2 antioxidant activity, and inhibiting programmed cell death [15]. Moreover, specifically for coronaviruses, ozone therapy may disrupt virus-cell interactions by activating NrF2 and limiting inflammation by inhibiting NFkB. Ozone therapy has been reported to be beneficial in various virus infections, including COVID-19.

In one study involving 71 individuals receiving at least ten ozone therapy sessions within six months, none of the participants contracted the disease despite exposure history or travel [16]. Another observation was that two high-risk individuals had mild symptoms and recovered from COVID-19. These findings support the preventive potential of ozone therapy for COVID-19, and receiving at least ten ozone therapy sessions within six months reduced the severity of COVID-19.

In China, clinical trials were conducted on feasible and effective treatment options, including ozone therapy. Each time (once a day for seven consecutive days), 100 mL of venous blood was collected and mixed with ozone gas at a 1:1 ratio of oxygen-ozone by volume, with a final concentration of 20 μg/mL of oxygen-ozone. The clinical study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Clinical Research of the People’s Hospital of Wuhan University (WDRY2020-K020) [17]. In both cases, the patient’s symptoms disappeared early using ozone therapy. Subsequent CT scans showed a gradual recovery of bilateral lung injuries from the initial chest imaging. The patients were discharged after two consecutive negative nucleic acid tests and met other discharge criteria. There were no reported adverse effects.

In summary, ozone therapy could be useful in controlling COVID-19 infections. While further research is needed to explore its use or optimal dosage for treatment, researchers should consider ozone therapy as an easily applicable, safe, cost-effective method for global implementation in the fight against COVID-19.

References:

1. Msemburi, W., et al., The WHO estimates of excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature, 2023. 613(7942): p. 130-137.
2. https://covid19.who.int/.
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