The combined use of ozone therapy and autologous platelet-rich plasma as an alternative approach to foot rot treatment for sheep. A preliminary study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of ozone therapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of acute foot rot. The study was carried out on 10 sheep suffering from foot rot compared to a control group of 5 healthy sheep. The therapeutic scheme consisted of two steps: baseline treatment by local ozone application and then, in the case of non-healing, the application of PRP. We analyzed the effectiveness of the combined treatment, as well as the potential toxicity of ozone therapy to the patients. For this purpose, the parameters of oxidative stress, antioxidant defense and systemic inflammatory response were evaluated in the course of the study. Complete recovery was achieved after local ozone application in six of the ten sheep. The remaining four animals also healed after the subsequent PRP therapy. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and haptoglobin did not change significantly during therapy. All of the observed fluctuations in oxidative parameters were mild and transitory, antioxidant/oxidant balance (AOB) calculated on the basis of antiradical capacity (AC) indicated a higher value just after ozone therapy (128.69 ± 66.01%), whereas AOB calculated on the basis of reducing power (RP) was lower at this time point, with an insignificant increase in the last measurement. Growth factors in PRP were detected using the MALDI TOF method. Our results indicated that ozone therapy did not evoke haematological changes, alterations in acute phase proteins and oxidative status. We demonstrated that the local application of ozone and PRP proved to be an effective ovine foot rot treatment that does not require the conventional use of antibiotics and disinfectants. However, due to the relatively high costs and time requirements of this system, it is potentially most suitable for small, organic farms.