Currently, with reappraisal of ozone therapy, it has been utilized worldwide in research and clinical field. Most of the studies investigating effects of ozone on blood parameters are conducted by directly ozonating the blood. Rectal insufflation is a simple, easy and inexpensive method of delivering ozone. Little is known how these gases affect some fundamental hemorheologic parameters when given by insufflation. We aimed to investigate the effects of colorectally insufflated oxygenozone on red blood cell rheology in rabbits. Rabbits were divided into Group 1 (control); Groups 2, 3 and 4 (oxygen rectally insufflated respectively for 15, 21 and 36 days); Groups 5, 6 and 7 (ozone rectally insufflated respectively for 15, 21 and 36 days). Erythrocyte deformability, aggregation and osmotic fragility were determined from blood samples at the end of each treatment period. Our study showed an improvement in deformability, a decrease in aggregation and an increase in fragility following a 15 day ozone treatment. With longer ozone application the changes in aggregation and fragility returned back to control levels, however its effect on deformability sustained. Therefore, more than two weeks ozone insufflation may induce adaptation to changes induced by ozone suggesting its systemic effects.

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