Medical ozone is a redox regulator with beneficial effects in oxidative etiology diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study is to conduct a holistic review of different pharmacological trials involving ozone in model diseases, as well as the clinical responses of RA patients. The ROS (reactive oxygen species) involved in RA and their relationship with the main pathological pathways of this autoimmune disease are considered here. The integrative analysis of experimental results from animals with clinical findings reveals that both methotrexate (MTX) and medical ozone share common mechanisms via adenosinergic regulation. This finding enables us to propose a new pharmacological mechanism in the treatment of RA. We conclude that MTX + medical ozone combined therapy reduces ROS overproduction and the generation of proinflammatory cytokines and decreases anti-cyclic citrullinate peptide levels by a mutual mechanism involving adenosine A1 receptors.
Keywords: A1 adenosine receptors; methotrexate; ozone; reactive oxygen species; rheumatoid arthritis.