Mechanisms of pathophysiology of blood vessels in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with ozone therapy

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system in which the protective myelin sheath around nerve fibres is progressively damaged. Its underlying pathophysiology is complex, involving inflammation, demyelination, oxidative stress, axonal damage and imperfect repair mechanisms. In recent years, researchers have paid closer attention to the role of blood vessels and the blood-brain barrier in MS, since impaired vascular function and endothelial dysfunction can worsen inflammation and restrict oxygen and nutrient delivery to affected nerve tissue. Ozone therapy - the medical use of oxygen-ozone gas mixtures, typically delivered via autohemotherapy - has been proposed as a complementary approach that may influence these vascular and oxidative processes, prompting researchers to review the existing evidence.

Study design

This paper is a systematic review, meaning the authors did not treat new patients or collect fresh clinical data. Instead, they searched the published scientific literature for studies examining ozone therapy in the context of multiple sclerosis, with particular attention to vascular pathophysiology - how blood vessels and circulation are affected in MS and how ozone administration might influence them. The review draws together findings from laboratory research and clinical studies on oxidative stress markers, endothelial function, mitochondrial activity and immune signalling, synthesising this evidence into a narrative account of the proposed mechanisms linking ozone therapy to vascular changes in MS.

Findings

The reviewed literature suggests that ozone, applied in controlled medical doses, can trigger a mild and transient oxidative stimulus that the body responds to by activating its own antioxidant defences. In the context of MS, the authors report that this response may help counter chronic oxidative stress, support mitochondrial function and improve oxygen utilisation in tissues affected by reduced blood flow. Several of the studies reviewed also point to potential immunomodulatory effects, meaning ozone therapy may help rebalance an overactive immune response rather than suppress it outright. The authors note that these are proposed biological mechanisms drawn from the wider literature rather than a single, unified experimental result specific to MS patients.

What the authors concluded

The authors conclude that ozone therapy is gaining recognition as a therapeutic technique for MS and that, based on the mechanisms reviewed, it could be considered an affirmative supplement to existing pharmacological treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as MS. They suggest that the vascular and antioxidant effects described in the literature warrant further clinical attention and that ozone therapy's role alongside standard MS management deserves continued research and consideration.

Limitations of this study

As a systematic review rather than a controlled clinical trial, this paper does not generate new primary data and its conclusions depend entirely on the quality and consistency of the studies it draws together. The included research varies in design, sample size and methodology, which limits how directly the findings can be compared or combined, and the review does not appear to include a formal meta-analysis or quality-weighting of the underlying studies. Publication bias is also a possibility, since studies reporting positive effects are generally more likely to be published than those reporting no effect. The authors themselves frame their conclusions as supportive rather than definitive, calling for further dedicated clinical research. This study concerns multiple sclerosis and vascular pathophysiology, not cancer, and should be read as a summary of proposed mechanisms rather than proof of clinical benefit for any individual patient.