Direct inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by low level blue photobiomodulation LED at 470, 454 and 450 nm.

Abstract

Blue light has been already reported as able to counteract different types of microorganisms including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi and viruses, especially the enveloped ones. It has been reported that both blue and visible light can efficiently impact SARS-CoV-2 by affecting its ability to replicate in in vitro cellular models of infection. In this study, blue light at 450, 454 and 470 nm was tested on SARS-CoV-2 to evaluate the residual viral infectious potential on Vero E6, Caco-2 and Calu-3 cells, after the irradiation of viral particles. Following 12' of irradiation at 40 mW/cm2 , a drastic block of viral amplification was observed. Indeed, at 7 days post-irradiation/infection the viral load was the same as the one measured 1day post-irradiation/infection, and cellular viability was maintained showing similar levels to the noninfected control cells. Taken together our results indicate that blue LED lamps can be considered as a cheap and convenient tool for SARS-CoV-2 disinfection.