Insights into Ozone-Induced Alterations of Serum Albumin in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Patients and a Non-MS Individual

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system and is characterized by neurological impairments. At present, there is no cure for MS and existing treatments merely modulate the course of the disease or alleviate symptoms. Autohemotherapy, the most common form of ozone therapy, is gaining attention for treating neurological ailments, and a number of studies suggest that it may have potential therapeutic benefits in the management of MS, given its ability to regulate the immune system responses and reduce inflammation. In the present study, the effects of different concentrations of medical ozone (40, 60, and 80 µg/ml) on human serum albumin (HSA) of four relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients, the most common form of MS, and a non-MS individual was investigated. The ischemia modified albumin (IMA) levels of each participant were measured before and after ozonation using albumin-cobalt binding assay. Additionally, the HSA protein of each subject was analyzed pre- and post-ozone treatment using a set of spectroscopic techniques. Altogether, the results showed that the medical ozone concentrations used in this study led to alterations in HSA by increasing IMA levels and inducing aggregation without causing major changes in the protein’s overall secondary structure. Moreover, the extent to which ozone affected HSA varied among each individual, highlighting the importance of prior testing and using innocuous and personalized concentrations of ozone in autohemotherapy of RRMS patients.