ABSTRACT
Medical ozone, a mixture gas of ozone and oxygen is used as a therapy for various diseases and has been recently used in viral hepatitis. This study investigated the possibility that ozone treatment may decrease or prevent the development of liver cirrhosis in chronic liver diseases using rats taking carbon tetrachloride. 35 rats were used and were divided into 4 groups. Rats of group I act as control and rats of group II were given medical ozone. Carbon tetrachloride was given to rats of group III while rats of group IV were given both carbon tetrachloride and medical ozone on alternating days. Chronic administration of carbon tetrachloride resulted in degeneration of most hepatocytes together with disorganization of their arrangement. There was a significant increase in the number of smooth muscle actin positive cells/hpf and in the collagen content in the portal tract areas. The fenestrations of the endothelial cells lining the sinusoids were rarely seen and basement membrane material appeared under the sinusoidal wall. Co-administration of medical ozone with carbon tetrachloride to rats preserved the integrity of most hepatocytes and preserved their content of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. However, small vacuoles were still seen in the hepatocytes and there was still disorganization of the hepatocyte arrangement. The collagen content was significantly decreased as compared to group III but still showed highly significant increase as compared to control. Medical ozone can preserve the integrity of many hepatocytes in chronic liver injury and has a moderate effect on the collagen fiber formation. So, it is recommended to do clinical trials to investigate the ability of medical ozone to preserve the liver functions in chronic liver diseases