Effects Of Near-ultraviolet Light Research Articles

In vitro bactericidal effects of near-ultraviolet light from light-emitting diodes on Helicobacter pylori

We investigated whether near-ultraviolet light emitted from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) effects Helicobacter pylori viability and whether this new method can potentially apply to eradication therapy. Three H. pylori strains were used for near-ultraviolet (UV) LED irradiation experiments. Viability of isolates exposed to near-UV light was compared with controls by counting colony forming units. A time-dependent bactericidal effect of near-UV light was definitely observed. LED irradiation with near-UV light showed effective bactericidal activity against H. pylori strains. Eradication therapy with LED might provide a new avenue of treatment in patients refractory to eradication due to antibiotic resistance and/or adverse effects of antibiotics.

Participation of chlorobiumquinone in the transplasma membrane electron transport system of Leishmania donovani promastigote: Effect of near-ultraviolet light on the redox reaction of plasma membrane

The respiratory quinone composition of the parasitic protozoa Leishmania donovani promastigote was investigated. 1′-oxomenaquinone-7, a chlorobiumquinone was found to be the major isoprenoid quinone. Substantial level of ubiquinone-9 was also present. Isolation and identification of the quinone from the purified plasma membrane yielded mainly 1′-oxomenaquinone-7 and ubiquinone-9; menaquinone was not detected. Membrane bound 1′-oxomenaquinone-7 could be destroyed by near-ultraviolet irradiation, with a concomitant loss or stimulation of plasma membrane electron transport activities. The abilities of different quinones to restore α-lipoic acid and ferricyanide reductase activity in near UV-irradiated cell preparations were compared. The order was; conjugate of chlorobiumquinone and sphingosine base≃conjugate of 2-methyl-3-(1′-oxooctadecyl)-1,4-napthoquinone and octadecylamine >> chlorobiumquinone≃2-methyl-3-(1′-oxooctadecyl)-1,4-napthoquinone > menaquinone-4≃ubiquinone-10. After irradiation with near-UV light, transmembrane α-lipoic acid reduction was inhibited, while transmembrane ferricyanide reduction was stimulated. The result obtained indicates that chlorobiumquinone mediates the plasma membrane electron transport between cytosolic reductant and oxygen as well as α-lipoic acid. UV-inactivation of chlorobiumquinone shuts down the plasma membrane oxygen uptake and diverts the electron flux towards ferricyanide reduction via ubiquinone-9. Chlorobiumquinone is the only example of a polyisoprenoid quinone containing a side chain carbonyl group from photosynthetic green-sulphur bacteria. Recent work has revealed numerous genes of trypanosomatid sharing common ancestry with plants and/or bacteria. These observations pose some fascinating questions about the evolutionary biology of this important group of parasitic protozoa.

The effects of near-ultraviolet light on serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity in the chick pineal gland.

Effects of near-ultraviolet light (UV-A; 325-390 nm, peak at 365 nm) on the activity of the pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT; a key regulatory enzyme in melatonin biosynthesis) were examined in chicks. Acute exposure of dark-adapted animals to UV-A radiation produced a marked decline in NAT activity of the pineal gland. The magnitude of this suppression was dependent upon duration of the light pulse and the age of the animals. The decrease in the nighttime NAT activity evoked by a 5 min pulse of UV-A light applied during the fourth hour of the dark phase of the 12 hr light:12 hr dark cycle (LD) gradually deepened during the first 40 min after the return of animals to constant darkness, then the enzyme activity began to rise, reaching control values by 2 hr. Exposure of chicks to a 5 min pulse of UV-A light during the ninth hour of the dark phase produced a marked decline in pineal NAT activity, which was reversible after 15 min of darkness. Pretreatment of animals with an inhibitor of catecholamine synthesis, alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (300 mg/kg, i.p.), or with a blocker of alpha2-adrenergic receptors, yohimbine (2 mg/kg, i.p.), antagonized the suppressive effect of UV-A light on nighttime NAT activity of the chick pineal gland. It is concluded that UV-A irradiation, similar to visible light, potently suppresses melatonin biosynthesis in the chick pineal gland, with an alpha2-noradrenergic signal playing the role of an intermediate in this action.

Effects of near-ultraviolet light on the nocturnal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity of rat pineal gland

Effects of near-ultraviolet (UV-A; 325–390 nm, peak at 365 nm) light on the activity of the pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT; a penultimate and key regulatory enzyme in melatonin biosynthesis) were examined in rats. Acute exposure of dark-adapted animals to UV-A radiation produced a marked suppression of NAT activity of the pineal gland, the effect being dependent on exposure time. The decrease in the night-time NAT activity evoked by a 1-min pulse of UV-A light (as well as by a 15-s pulse of broad-band visible light) gradually deepened during the first 40 min of treatment of animals with constant darkness, then the enzyme activity began to rise reaching control values by 3 h. Treatment of rats with a protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, attenuated this night-driven reactivation of the pineal NAT activity. The presented results provide evidence that UV-A light is a powerful signal capable of controlling melatonin biosynthesis in rat pineal gland.

Effect of Near-Ultraviolet Light on Alkaloid Production in Multiple Shoot Cultures ofCatharanthus roseus

Effect of Near-Ultraviolet Light on Alkaloid Production in Multiple Shoot Cultures of<i>Catharanthus roseus</i>

Effects of near-ultraviolet light on mutations, intragenic and intergenic recombinations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The effects of far (254 nm) and near (290–350 nm) ultraviolet (UV) light on mutations, intragenic and intergenic recombinations were compared in diploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. At equivalent survival levels there was no much difference in the induction of nonsence and missense mutations between far- and near-UV radiations. However, frameshift mutations were induced more frequently by near-UV than by far-UV radiation. Near-UV radiation induced intragenic recombination (gene conversion) as efficiently as far-UV radiation and the induced levels were similar in both radiations at equitoxic doses. A strikingly higher frequency was observed for the intergenic recombination induced by near-UV radiation than by far-UV radiation when compared at equivalent survival levels. Photoreactivation reduced the frequency only slightly in far-UV induced intergenic recombination and not at all in near-UV induction. These results indicate that near-UV damage involves strand breakage in addition to pyrimidine dimers and other lesions induced, whereas far-UV damage consists largely of photoreactivable lesions, pyrimidine dimers, and near-UV induced damage is more efficient for the induction of crossing-over.

Effect of near-ultraviolet light on the respiratory chain of Escherichia coli.

Irradiation of a particulate fraction from E. coli with near-ultraviolet light destroyed NADH oxidase activity. This treatment did not affect markedly the levels of cytochromes b1 and o, and ubiquinone in this preparation. Cytochrome a2 was destroyed by irradiation. A progressive increase in the aerobic steady state level of cytochrome b1 reduction during irradiation confirmed that irradiation affected the cytochrome oxidase region of the respiratory chain. There was a second site of inactivation between substrate and cytochrome b1. This was indicated by lowered NADH:cytochrome b1 reductase activity. Partial reactivation of this activity was obtained by addition of ubiqumone-2 but not ubiquinone-8.

THE EFFECT OF NEAR-ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT ON STAPHYLOCOCCI AND MYCOBACTERIA IN DROPLET NUCLEI.

The bactericidal effect of near-ultraviolet light (3,200 to 4,000 A.U.) on organisms in aqueous suspension has been reported (1-3). However, to the writers' knowledge, there have been no studies of the antibacterial effect of light of such wave lengths on microorganisms in droplet nuclei. Because droplet nuclei are vehicles for the transmission of certain infectious agents, knowledge of the antimicrobial effects of light on microorganisms in air-borne particles is of interest. Although far-ultraviolet light (2,537 A.U.) has long been used for germicidal purposes, its pronounced toxic effect on human skin and eyes requires that use of ultraviolet light in these wave lengths be strictly limited to indirect irradiation. Near-ultraviolet light has little or no significant effect on the skin of persons who are not photosensitive (4); only very high intensities of near-ultraviolet light provoke an erythematous reaction in normal skin. However, certain abnormally sensitive persons and those who are under treatment with photosensitizing drugs are sensitive to even moderate intensities of this light. For this reason, even near-ultraviolet irradiation must be controlled. The purpose of this report is to describe the effects of near-ultraviolet light on staphylococci and on several strains of mycobacteria in droplet nuclei.