An evaluation of the dorset sheep as a predictive animal model for the response of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient human erythrocytes to a proposed systemic toxic ozone intermediate, methyl oleate ozonide.

Erythrocytes of both glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD)-deficient humans and Dorset sheep, an animal model with an erythrocyte G-6-PD deficiency, responded in a dose-dependent manner to the oxidant stress of methyl oleate ozonide (MOO) as measured by decreases in G-6-PD activity, increases in methemoglobin (METHB) levels, and decreases in GSH. However, the human G-6-PD-deficient erythrocytes were considerably more sensitive to the formation of METHB than the sheep erythrocytes while the reverse was the case for the GSH parameter. The results suggest a qualitative difference in the response of sheep erythrocytes and human G-6-PD-deficient erythrocytes to MOO that seriously questions the value of the sheep erythrocyte as a quantitatively accurate predictive model.