Oxygen-Ozone (O2-O3) Therapy in Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD): A Review Study

Background: reduced blood flow in peripheral arterial disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) develops when the arteries supplying the limbs become narrowed, usually through the gradual build-up of atherosclerotic plaque. The reduced blood flow can cause pain on walking (intermittent claudication), slow-healing wounds and, in advanced cases, tissue loss that may lead to amputation. PAD rarely occurs in isolation: it shares its underlying risk factors with heart attack and stroke, including high blood pressure, disordered blood lipids, poor glycaemic control, chronic inflammation and disturbed oxidative status. This review sets out to examine whether oxygen-ozone therapy might influence those risk factors and the symptoms they drive.

What this review covers

This is a narrative literature review by Juchniewicz and Lubkowska. The authors gathered the existing evidence on oxygen-ozone therapy and its reported effects on PAD risk factors, symptoms and patients' quality of life. They drew on a mix of laboratory (in vitro) work, animal studies and clinical trials, and organised the discussion around the biological mechanisms through which controlled, medical-grade ozone is proposed to act.

Findings reported by the review

Across the studies surveyed, the authors describe several recurring mechanisms. Oxygen-ozone therapy is reported to modulate oxidative status by stimulating the body's antioxidant defence systems. It is also linked to haemodynamic changes such as improved blood flow, reduced blood viscosity and altered platelet function; to metabolic effects including better glycaemic control and lipid handling; and to anti-inflammatory activity with lower levels of inflammatory markers. In the context of ischaemic tissue and ulcers, the review notes reports of reduced hypoxia, faster wound healing and antimicrobial effects, with one clinical example suggesting treatment costs could be lowered compared with standard antibiotic therapy. The review presents these as adjunctive effects observed alongside conventional care rather than as a stand-alone cure.

What the authors concluded

The authors concluded that oxygen-ozone therapy appears to be an effective adjunctive option for reducing the risk factors associated with PAD and for helping to prevent complications such as amputation and major cardiovascular events, while improving quality of life and with no serious adverse effects reported in the studies they examined. They framed it as a complementary approach used alongside established treatment, not a replacement for it.

Limitations of this study

This is a narrative review rather than a systematic review or meta-analysis, so the studies were selected and summarised without a formal search-and-appraisal protocol or pooled statistical analysis. The underlying clinical evidence varied considerably in methodology, ozone dosing and route of administration, which limits how far the results can be generalised and makes direct comparison between studies difficult. Many of the supporting studies were small, and the authors themselves point to the need for larger, well-controlled trials before firm conclusions can be drawn. Readers should treat the findings as promising but preliminary, and any use of ozone therapy should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.