TI:  Studies on the Biological Effects of Ozone: 4. Cytokine
     production and glutathione levels in human erythrocytes.

DT:  December 14, 1993

AU:  V. Bocci, E. Luzzi, E. Corradeschi, L. Paulesu, R. Rossi, 
     E. Cardaioli, P. DiSimplicio

SO:  J Biol Regul Homeost Agents, 1993: 7: 133-8

AB:  We have investigated the effect of various concentrations of
     ozone on human blood aiming to correlate the production of 
     cytokines with depletion of reduced glutathione and hemolysis.  
     As erythrocytes constitute the bulk of blood cells and represent 
     the main target of ozone they have been taken as a useful marker 
     of its oxidative activity.  It appears that a transient exposure 
     (30 sec) of blood of up to 78 ug ozone per ml of blood does not 
     depress the production of cytokines even though there is a slight 
     increase of hemolysis and a small decrease of intracellular 
     reduced glutathione.  In contrast either a constant (up to 30 
     sec) exposure of an ozone flux or a high ozone concentration (108 
     ug/ml) markedly decreases reduced glutathione levels and 
     depresses cytokine production.