Violet Ray and Ozone therapy

The immune system is designed to identify and eliminate invading microorganisms, parasites, and even cancer cells. Mammalian immune systems generally involve two separate but interacting components: the innate immune system and the adaptive system. The innate immune system reacts immediately following a detected wound formation or some tissue damage and involves attracting phagocytic cells (e.g., white blood cells) to the cite of tissue damage and likely microbial attack. The innate immune system results in local inflammation, including release of RONS, and this must resolve fairly quickly to avoid excessive damage to host tissue. Inflammation that never turns off—that is, chronic inflammation—can lead to auto-immune disorders, cancer, and many other maladies. 33

The adaptive immune system is based on the exquisitely sensitive and selective character of antibodies responding to perceived antigens, then activating T cells and B cells to attack and eliminate these threats. It is activated later than the innate system and can act much longer. Vaccines, for example, are intended to activate the adaptive immune system to provide long-term protection against infective targets. RONS are known to be involved in both parts of the immune system, but they have been most thoroughly studied in the context of the innate immune system.

White blood cells such as macrophages and neutrophils seek to identify and eliminate invading microorganisms via phagocytosis. An important part of the action of these cells is the creation and use of various RONS. An illustration of this is shown in Fig. 10 . 34




FIG. 10.

(a) Illustration of typical chemical species created in CAP in air surface microdischarge (SMD); (b) corresponding set of chemical species known to be created in mammalian innate immune systems. Reprinted with permission from P. C. Dedon and S. R. Tannenbaum, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 423, 12–22 (2004). Copyright 2004 Elsevier.


The fact that air plasma creates a set of chemical species that are identical or closely related to species created by white blood cells suggests that the observed therapeutic successes of CAP may be due, at least in part, to these species. Furthermore, the use of therapies that rely explicitly on RONS to treat infectious agents has become more widely accepted in the last several years. A recent review highlighting this principle lists the following methods that are known to rely on this mechanism in addition to CAP: standard antibiotics and disinfectants; photodynamic therapy; photocatalysis (e.g., using TiO 2); medicinal honey; and NO-releasing molecules and nanoparticles, among others. 35 Another recent review summarizes the use of redox-active drugs to fight parasite infections such as Leshmaniasis, Chagas disease, and malaria, among many others.