The ozonation of unsaturated fatty acids: aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide as products and possible mediators of ozone toxicity.

The products of the reactions of ozone with aqueous emulsions of unsaturated fatty acids and with liposomes made from phosphatidylcholine esters were characterized. Ozonolysis of emulsions of methyl oleate yields approximately 1 mol of hydrogen peroxide and 2 mol of aldehydes per mole of ozone used and fatty acid reacted. That is, the net equation that occurs is RCH = CHR' + O3 + H2O----RCHO + R'CHO + H2O2 . Ozonolysis of emulsions of oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids gives 1 mol of hydrogen peroxide per mole of ozone used. Only very low yields (less than 5%) of reducible materials other than hydrogen peroxide are observed, suggesting that the yields of organic peroxidic materials, including Criegee ozonides and lipid hydroperoxides, are small. Ozonolysis of rat erythrocyte ghost membranes and rat bronchoalveolar lavage also gives significant yields (about 50%) of hydrogen peroxide based on the moles of ozone consumed. Reactions of ozone with bovine serum albumin, glutathione, and glucose do not produce hydrogen peroxide, implying that the hydrogen peroxide formed during the ozonation of biological materials arises almost exclusively from ozone/olefin reactions. Hydrogen peroxide and aldehydes are suggested to be important mediators of the modifications observed in both the lung and extrapulmonary tissues when ozone is inhaled.