Development of Topical Ozone-Based Antimicrobials: A Promising Strategy Against Antimicrobial Resistance

The escalating crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health, rendering conventional antibiotics increasingly ineffective. The urgent need for alternative antimicrobial strategies leads to the exploration of novel antimicrobial agents beyond conventional antibiotics. Ozone (O3), a reactive oxygen species (ROS) generator, has demonstrated broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses, offering a promising approach to tackle AMR. This talk
highlights the mechanisms underlying ozone's antimicrobial effects and surveys its efficacy against clinically relevant drug-resistant pathogens. It is described that ozone induces rapid and potent microbial inactivation through multiple mechanisms, including lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and DNA damage. Importantly, ozone demonstrated significant efficacy against multidrug-resistant strains, highlighting its potential as a valuable adjunct or alternative to conventional antibiotics.

Ozone is a potent oxidizing agent, that reacts with the unsaturated fatty acid chains present in vegetable oils through a process known as ozonolysis, resulting in the formation of bioactive compounds, such as ozonides (1,2,4-trioxolanes) and other oxygenated products (aldehydes, ketones and peroxides). Such compounds have demonstrated to have antimicrobial activity by affecting bacterial cell membrane integrity, intracellular oxidative stress, and DNA integrity [1, 2]. 

2M Pharma in collaboration with academic partners has been developing and exploring the antimicrobial potential of a class of ozonized olive oil-based products of topical application for veterinary use. Clinical studies in pets and cattle with common infection-based pathologies in veterinary context has been conducted. Additionally, an in-vitro study is being conducted to assess the efficacy of ozonized oil against Leishmania infection in canine skin explants.

Future studies should focus on optimizing ozone delivery methods and evaluating its clinical efficacy in diverse infectious disease settings.