B.A. Talis, master of sports of the USSR, 4-fold world champion in sambo among veterans New York, the USA
Yu.M. Zhukovsky, M.D., Sent-John Episcopal hospital, New York, USA
V.G. Panov, Ph.D., Scientific Research Institute „Storm”, Odessa, Ukraine
K.V. Ol'shevskiy, Ph.D., master of sport of the USSR in fencing, Odessa, Ukraine

Key words: elite athlete training, theory of adaptation, negative oxygen air ions, gas phase superoxide generator.

Specialists have been using various phytogenous and animal-based adaptogens for a long time to improve physical endurance in sport. The best known are ginseng, leuzea, schizandra, rhodiola, eleuterokkok and some bee products – royal jelly, propolis, etc. [2], laying the basis of bioactive supplements and specifically designed for the use in elite sports – such as Adapton and Leveton [14]. However, traditional adaptogens are still pharmaceuticals but nothing prevents them from falling into the doping list.

Adaptabilities of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including namely superoxide and singlet oxygen, have been studied in many countries in the last decade. They are an integral part of natural air and therefore their reference to prohibited substances is almost impossible. Special attention is paid to the so-called singlet-oxygen therapy or spirovitalization [1]. The last term captures the core of the method and consists in inhalation of air "with life-giving force of active oxygen" [11]. However, the method has not yet received a full theoretical approval of the biological mechanism of its action and is on the stage of origin. At the same time the adaptogenic properties of the air enriched with another ROS – superoxide, which mechanism of bioactivity is well understood, are undeservedly forgotten [8, 15].

Adaptation to environmental changes is known to be realized on all body levels, but the basic adaptive mechanisms occur on the hypothalamic-pituitary level in the CNS [5]. Hypothalamus is a specific part of the brain. On the one hand, it combines the properties of the nervous tissue, since it consists of neurons correlated with all parts of nervous system through numerous nerve fibers. Therefore, nervous system can quickly transfer all it "knows" about the outside world or internal body state to hypothalamus.

On the other hand, it is a typical endocrine gland, secreting special hormones to control the activity of pituitary gland – gland-regulator of many parts of endocrine system. Thus, hypothalamus is a significant intermediate step in the body control system, converting quickly acting neural signals into slowly acting – hormonal. Hypothalamus is involved in the control of practically all body functions, specifically maintenance of homeostasis, blood pressure, temperature regulation, body growth etc. So, numerous capacities of indirect effect on hypothalamus by various adaptogens, providing mobilization of individual funds of body regulatory systems, have been used in medicine for several decades [9].

One of such capacities is provided by the close anatomical and functional relationship of hypothalamus and nerve receptors located in the nasal cavity and, in particular, vomeronasal organ (VNO) receptors. The latter is a part of the so-called second olfactory system that responds to pheromones – specific volatile chemicals defining a number of unconscious body reactions, e.g. sexual desire and "own – stranger" signals. VNO is a symmetrical organ located on the nasal septum and connected to hypothalamus by a vomeronasal nerve (Fig. 1). In addition to specific human pheromones VNO was proved [8] to be sensitive to the active forms of oxygen – superoxide anion radical ·O₂^- and hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂.

Fig.1. Vomeronasal organ in humans

Superoxide in the form of negative oxygen air ion is present in the natural air, where it is generated influenced by the earth crust radioactivity and within plant photosynthesis. Mammals got sensitivity to atmospheric gas-phase superoxide evolutionarily from insects using it to search for vegetable food and for premonitions of oncoming thunderstorms.

The positive effect of the negatively ionized air has been studied by many researchers. The best known are the works by A.L. Chizhevsky [4], designer of the apparatus for artificial air ionization that went down in history as "Chizhevsky's chandelier". A.L. Chizhevsky and his followers have accumulated vast practical material confirming therapeutic properties of ionized air. So in 1959 air ion therapy was officially recognized in the USSR as a method of physical therapy of diseases [12].

However, the mechanism of action of air ions on humans remained unknown for a long time. They were assumed to be capable of penetration into blood through lungs and affect its corpuscles and interacting with skin nerve receptors. Herewith, the ion biological activity was considered to be stipulated by their negative electrical charge. It was only at the very end of the last century when Chizhevsky's follower biophysicist N.I. Goldstein discovered and studied the reflecting mechanism consisting in the hypothalamus response to stimulation by superoxide of some schneiderian membrane receptors [8]. Here the chemical (free radical - for superoxide) nature is essential, but the electric charge transferred by its molecules is only its byproduct [15].

The action spectrum of these reflex responses at the biochemical and physiological body levels was found to be noticeably wide. It includes activation of endogenous antioxidant mechanisms (increase of tissue superoxide dismutase and catalase activity and levels of reduced glutathione), decreased endogenous oxidative stress, intensified brain cell tissue respiration,

inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO-A and MAO-B) of basal ganglia, hypothalamus and brainstem, increased levels of dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters, decreased prolactin levels, potentiation of analgesic painkillers and intensification of the therapeutic effect of neuroleptics, tranquilizers, antidepressants and hypnotics, better microcirculation and increase of cerebral adaptabilities and body in general [7, 8].

In the aspect of the considered topics, a number of effects, discovered by Chizhevsky, repeatedly experimentally proved by his followers and validated in the studies of N.I. Goldstein's, are of special interest. Superoxide inhalations:

- raise overall metabolism, facilitating more intensive fat loss and increase of protein synthesis, and hence growth of muscle weight;

- accelerate lactic acid decomposition in muscles and thus recovery process after muscle work;

- improve accuracy and motor coordination, accelerate reaction;

- accelerate angenesis in case of wounds, fractures, sprains, i.e. contribute to rapid cure of injuries;

- enhance the effects of many pharmaceutical substances, including adaptogens;

- contribute to normalization of sleep.

Despite the existing for decades empirical preconditions for the introduction of air ion body impact into sports practice, it is still used occasionally and considered in very few scientific publications. The reason is the wrong idea of ​​electrical nature of bioactivity of negative air ions that has been considered a doctrine for many decades.

Ion concentrations capable of provoking marked physiological effects are very seldom in nature. There exist very few places with the healing well-ionized air (so called electrical spa). Therefore, in the due time "Chizhevsky's chandelier" was the first powerful artificial air ionizer and served an instrument in the studies of numerous practical results of air ion therapy. However, it was a very cumbersome and technically imperfect device, very uncomfortable to use.

Surely, designers tried to modernize "Chizhevsky's chandelier" in order to reduce its size but keep high concentration of generated ions. Since the task was to maximize air saturation by negative electrical charge, not much attention was paid to the fact what was its transmitter. This approach prevented from reproducing of many effects of "Chizhevsky's chandelier" using small air ionizers that finally resulted in distrust and at the certain stage to rejection of the idea of air-ion therapy.

The reason for these failures was very simple. The present free electrons and negative oxygen air ions, i.e., gas-phase superoxide, physically provide for negative air ionization. "Chizhevsky's chandelier" was later proved to generate quite a lot of superoxide – up to 15% of the total of ions. In small corona discharge-based ionizers this value rarely exceeds 5%, and due to its unreasoned design is close to zero in many cases. Here the active two factors reduce to zero the biological activity of such ionized air. On the one hand, it is the low concentration of the active substance itself – superoxide. On the other hand, free electrons quickly settle on face skin and charge it negatively, repelling similarly charged ions of superoxide and preventing them from reaching nasal cavity [13].

The mechanism of air ion biological activity was revealed mainly thanks to the designed by N.I. Goldstein special laboratory model of the device called “gas-phase superoxide generator” [8, p.21], promoting creation in a few liters of very large concentrations of practically pure superoxide without free electrons and such extraneous toxic air ionization products as ozone and nitrogen oxides. However, this device designed for laboratory studies is hardly suitable for wide practical application.

Our research team has been working at design of gas-phase superoxide generator suitable for wide practical use as air-ion therapeutic devices for many years. The concepts of design of such devices have been worked and several laboratory and experimental models have been introduced.

The model named "Eol" meant for correction of the air ion regimen in a small space, e.g. workplace or bedroom, is introduced, certified by Ministry of Health of Ukraine and protected by patent [3].

The worked superoxide generation principles promote design of high-performance ion devices that can be applied in sports practice.

We made an experiment to normalize sleep of bodybuilders in pre-season. On this stage athletes minimize carbohydrate intake to reduce subcutaneous fat. The lack of glucose provokes hunger, especially at night time, and sleep disruption. Hypothalamus is known [5] to recognize low glucose level in blood and control the state of "wakefulness – sleep". As the reflex effect of superoxide inhalations is determined by hypothalamus, the inhalations were expected to be effective in solution of this problem. Moreover, air ionization is proved to be effective for snoring with sleep apnea (i.e. respiratory standstill) [6].

Experiments were made using the "Eol-P” superoxide generator, providing the concentration of superoxide close to 100 thousands ion/sm³ from the 0.5 m distance, designed for air ion prevention measures and similar by this feature to the "Hippocrates" ionizer applied by the authors [6]. The "Eol" generator was mounted on a bedside table two feet from the face of the athlete sleeping on the right side and worked continuously throughout the night. The impulses to awakening and hunger after sleep decreased already in the first night and were followed by complete sleep normalization in a week. In case with older athletes superoxide inhalations were combined with the intake of the “Melatonin” supplement (NCB Technology Corp., USA) before bedtime.

Nowadays the use of superoxide inhalations during boxers’ and wrestlers’ aerobic workouts is being studied with the use of the more powerful generator "Aeolus-M", providing the oxygen air ion concentration of about 500 thousands ion/ sm³ from the 0.8 meter-distance, designed for the air ion therapy of hypertension and bronchial asthma. The research is meant to determine the effect of inhaled superoxide on athlete’s endurance.

Herewith, the studies of the effect of inhaled superoxide sessions before and after training on the rate of recovery of bodybuilders and power lifters have been started.

In conclusion, it is to be marked that the matter of the use in sport of inhaled gas-phase superoxide is considered possible and requires profound studies with research methods and modern sports medical equipment involved in order to identify the unknown physiological effects and define the most effective doses and frequency of air ion exposure. However, even present studies with its results adduced e.g. in [6, 7 and 13], testify to perspectives of this direction [16]. The authors are ready to cooperate and share their technical and methodological experience in this field.

Fig.2. "Eol" oxigen ionizer (gas-phase superoxide generator)

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Author’s contacts: panowic@yandex.ru. Victor Panov.