Abstract
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin is important for health. Those with fat malabsorption disorders malabsorb vitamin D and thus must rely on cutaneous production of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is generated secondary to exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (whether from the sun or from an artificial source). Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been developed to emit ultraviolet radiation. Little is known about the efficiency of UVB emitting LEDs tuned to different wavelengths for producing vitamin D3 in human skin. Ampoules containing 7-dehydrocholesterol were exposed to a LED that emitted a peak wavelength at 293, 295, 298 or 305 nm to determine their efficiency to produce previtamin D3. The 293 nm LED was best suited for evaluating its effectiveness for producing vitamin D in human skin due to the shorter exposure time. This LED was found to be 2.4 times more efficient in producing vitamin D3 in human skin than the sun in less than 1/60th the time. This has significant health implications for medical device development in the future that can be used for providing vitamin D supplementation to patients with fat malabsorption syndromes as well as patients with other metabolic abnormalities including patients with chronic kidney disease.
Highlights
Vitamin D3 production in human skin depends on several factors
Patients with fat malabsorption syndromes including those with inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis and gastric bypass surgery are at high risk for vitamin D3 deficiency and are in need of a user friendly device that can promote the cutaneous production of vitamin D38, 16
The 293 nm Light emitting diodes (LEDs) was able to generate the same amount of previtamin D3 in less than half the time compared to the other LEDs
Summary
Vitamin D3 production in human skin depends on several factors. The size of the area exposed to UV radiation is directly proportional to the amount of vitamin D3 produced; the larger the area exposed, the more vitamin D3 is produced. With the advancement of gallium nitride LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology that emits UV radiation, it is possible to manufacture LEDs that are efficient and suitable for a wide range of commercial uses including for sterilization[17, 18] These LEDs can be tuned to emit the desired wavelengths including those that can theoretically can convert 7-DHC to previtamin D3 in human skin. Barnkob et al investigated the efficiency of LEDs with different peak wavelengths in producing vitamin D3 in pig skin[19]. To determine the efficiency of previtamin D3 production in ampoules containing 7-DHC following exposure to LEDs emitting different wavelengths to determine which one was most effective and efficient. The second objective was to compare the efficiency of vitamin D3 production in human skin exposed to the most effective and efficient LED to sunlight
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