The influence of ozone on human red blood cells. Comparison with other mechanisms of oxidative stress.

Exposure of red blood cells to ozone resulted in K+ leakage, lipid peroxidation and inhibition of some membrane-associated enzymes. On the other hand, carrier-mediated transport of glucose, leucine, sulfate and glycerol and the nonspecific permeation of glycerol, L-glucose and erythritol were not affected by ozone. The cellular level of reduced glutathione declined, whereas the ATP content of the cells was quite insensitive to ozone exposure. It was shown that, most probably, lipid peroxidation and K+ leakage are not causally related. Further, K+ leakage did not reflect gradual, progressive loss of K+ from all cells simultaneously, but occurred in an all-or-none fashion. Finally, ozone-induced damage was compared to damage induced by H2O2, t-butyl hydroperoxide and photosensitizers plus light. It appeared that the pathways leading to membrane deterioration are quite dissimilar in these various forms of oxidative stress.