Efficacy of Ozonated Oil as a Dietary Supplement in the Clinical Management of Patients With Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration, also called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a leading cause of visual impairment and severe vision loss.

AMD is a disease with a multifactorial etiology. The main factors which, associated with the genetic ones, increase the risk of WMD onset are represented by smoking, obesity, hypertension, cardio-vascular diseases, a diet rich in dietary fat and alcohol intake. From an organic point of view, AMD is a disease that affects the macular region of the retina, causing progressive loss of central vision.

Retinal cells are characterized by high oxygen consumption. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical are the standard product of cellular metabolism within the mitochondria. Under physiological conditions, ROS are neutralized by a system of antioxidants. In case of cellular metabolism disturbances or insufficiency of the antioxidant system, an excess of ROS can be produced which contributes to oxidative stress, widely described as exerting deleterious effects on cells. The high oxygen requirement and low levels of antioxidant enzymes make the retina extremely sensitive to oxidative stress and more susceptible to cell death. Prevention of neuronal death in the retina becomes a crucial aspect for the management of WMD.

The treatment of choice for AMD today is the use of anti-VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) drugs, they are effective for neo-vascular AMD, acting on the inhibition of the angiogenic protein VEGF, which is produced in the retina and induced by hypoxia and other conditions. It is practice, however, to support the integration of nutritional supplements such as zinc, resveratrol, carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of ozonated oil with high ozonides (HOO) administered orally as gastro-resistant capsules (O3Zone, GS Pharma, Malta), as an integrative and complementary treatment in patients affected by macular degeneration in the possible slowing of disease progression.