Lian-Yun Li, Ruo-Lan Ma, Liqin Du, An-Shi Wu

Ozonated autohemotherapy (O3-AHT) has been used to effectively treat gout, but the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, as an initial effort to understand the therapeutic mechanisms of O3-AHT, we aim to examine the effect of O3-AHT on serum inflammatory cytokine levels in gouty patients. Three groups of patients and healthy subjects were recruited, including the gouty (n=10), hyperuricemia (n=10), and healthy control (n=11) groups. Cytometric bead array was applied to examine 12 cytokines before (T0), during (T1), and after (T2) therapies. Three cytokines, IL-8, IL-12, and MCP-1, were detectable in all participants. Before O3-AHT, the average serum levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 were higher in the gout group than in the hyperuricemia and healthy control groups, confirming the inflammation status in gouty patients. After the 5th course of O3-AHT (T1), IL-8 level was significantly increased compared to that at T0. IL-12 level was also raised at T1, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. After completing the therapy, both IL-8 and IL-12 levels decreased to levels lower than those at T0. MCP-1 level remained essentially unchanged during and after treatment. Our results indicate that O3-AHT induces a significant change in serum cytokine levels, suggesting that modulating the inflammatory process is one of the therapeutic mechanisms underlying O3-AHT. In addition, the sensitive response of serum IL-8 and IL-12 levels to O3-AHT suggests that these cytokines may be developed as biomarkers to evaluate the therapeutic effect of O3-AHT in gouty patients.