Ozone (O3), as a strong oxidant, has powerful sterilizing ability. Its sterilization mechanism mainly includes the following aspects:
1. Destruction of cell membrane:
• When ozone comes into contact with bacterial cell membranes, it will rapidly decompose to produce single oxygen atoms (O) and oxygen (O2) due to its high instability.
• Single oxygen atoms are highly reactive and can oxidize with lipids in cell membranes, leading to lipid peroxidation and thus changing the structure and permeability of cell membranes.
• Increased permeability of cell membranes can lead to leakage of cell contents and disruption of electrolyte balance, ultimately leading to loss of cell function and death.
2. Destruction of genetic material:
• Ozone can penetrate the cell membrane into the interior of bacterial cells and directly interact with the bacterial genetic material DNA and RNA.
• Ozone destroys the chemical structure of DNA and RNA through oxidation reactions, forming various oxidation products, such as hydroxyl groups, aldehyde groups, etc. These products can cause nucleotide chain breaks or base pairing errors, thus interfering with the gene replication and transcription process. .
• This disruption of genetic information often results in the bacterium being unable to grow, reproduce or die normally.
Scientific data and experimental studies support the germicidal effects of ozone. For example, some studies have shown that ozone can show significant killing effects on a variety of pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, in a short period of time at a certain concentration. The specific sterilization effect will be affected by many factors such as ozone concentration, contact time, temperature, humidity, microbial species and physiological state.
At the biological level, the bactericidal effect of ozone is achieved by interfering with and destroying the basic processes of bacterial life activities. This includes affecting key links such as energy metabolism, protein synthesis, and cell division. Due to the strong oxidizing ability of ozone, its bactericidal effect is usually more thorough than that of some other disinfectants, and it is less likely to develop resistance.
In practical applications, it is necessary to control the concentration and exposure time of ozone to ensure the sterilization effect and safety.
