Spontaneous Ultraweak Photon Emission Research Articles

Unique algorithm for the evaluation of embryo photon emission and viability

Living cells have spontaneous ultraweak photon emission derived from metabolic reactions associated with physiological conditions. The ORCA-Quest CMOS camera (Hamamatsu Photonics, Japan) is a highly sensitive and essential tool for photon detection; its use with a microscope incubator (Olympus) enables the detection of photons emitted by embryos with the exclusion of harmful visible light. With the application of the second law of thermodynamics, the low-entropy energy absorbed and used by embryos can be distinguished from the higher-entropy energy released and detectable in their environment. To evaluate higher-entropy energy data from embryos, we developed a unique algorithm for the calculation of the entropy-weighted spectral fractal dimension, which demonstrates the self-similar structure of the energy (photons) released by embryos. Analyses based on this structure enabled the distinction of living and degenerated mouse embryos, and of frozen and fresh embryos and the background. This novel detection of ultra-weak photon emission from mouse embryos can provide the basis for the development of a photon emission embryo control system. The ultraweak photon emission fingerprints of embryos may be used for the selection of viable specimens in an ideal dark environment.

Using Irradiation-Acquisition Interleaved Time-Integrated Imaging to Assess Delayed Luminescence and the Noise-Laden Residual Spontaneous Photon Emission of Yeast

Delayed luminescence from organisms informs oxidative stress that may be modulable by external stimulations. In the absence of external stress causing delayed luminescence, organisms may produce spontaneous ultraweak photon emission due to the residual oxygen demand. To better understand the oxidative state of an organism, it is desirable to acquire the delayed luminescence to reach the phase wherein the ultraweak photon emission resides. This, however, is challenging due to the significant difference in the order of magnitude of the photon counts between the two types of photon emission. Conventional time-gated measurement requires a high dynamic range to assess the noise-level photon emission, whereas simple long exposure can miss the kinetics of luminescence. There may be a compromise to be made between robustly acquiring the decay kinetics of the delayed luminescence and reliably acquiring the noise-laden spontaneous photon emission. We demonstrate an irradiation-acquisition interleaved time-integrated imaging approach that may enable the reliable acquisition of slow-decay delayed luminescence down to the level of ultraweak photon emission. Repetitive irradiation was interleaved with a gradually increased time of acquisition to assess the integrated time course of the post-irradiation luminescence. Such instrument configuration performed on yeast facilitated the use of time differentiation to assess the delayed luminescence down to the noise-level ultraweak photon emission at the expense of the total time of acquisition.

On the stress-induced photon emission from organism: I, will the scattering-limited delay affect the temporal course?

Much remains to be identified for the temporal course of stress-induced photon emission (PE) from organism following stress of various types including but not limited to light. Induced PE concerns surface light emission in excess of the baseline level of spontaneous ultraweak photon emission, in response to a localized or systematic stress via oxidative bursting. It is proposed that the surface emission of induced PE involves two causally sequential phases: a stress-transfer phase that transforms the stress to perturb photogenesis balanced at homeostasis and a photon-propagation phase that transmits the photons from the domain of perturbed photogenesis to surface emission. The traversing of induced PE photons from wherever the domains of photogenesis perturbation are in the organism following the stress to the surface must involve photon propagation of which the scattering will affect the photon lifetime. Induced PE is usually substantially retarded in occurrence or longer in duration with respect to the stress. In order to identify whether the time course of induced PE can be attributed entirely to the stress-perturbed photogenesis, Part I estimates the upper limit of the scattering-caused photon lifetime following photogenesis. The estimation of that upper limit is based on setting the photogenesis at the center of a spherical human-size tissue having an unrealistically strong tissue scattering. Time-resolved photon migration analysis reveals that the scattering-limited lifetime will not be greater than 100 ns at a human scale. The time course of induced PE reported thus suggests a much retarded and slower perturbation to photogenesis with respect to the time course of stress for manifesting the surface-observed induced PE. The theoretical insight, which may complement the soliton mechanism, also supports the exploration of entopic phenomena including phosphenes and negative afterimages via delayed PE. The subsequent Part II hypothesizes a few stress-transfer kinetic patterns feeding the photogenesis.

Spectral Distribution of Ultra-Weak Photon Emission as a Response to Wounding in Plants: An In Vivo Study.

It is well established that every living organism spontaneously emits photons referred to as ultra-weak photon emission (synonym biophotons or low-level chemiluminescence) which inherently embodies information about the wellbeing of the source. In recent years, efforts have been made to use this feature as a non-invasive diagnostic tool related to the detection of food quality, agriculture and biomedicine. The current study deals with stress resulting from wounding (mechanical injury) on Arabidopsis thaliana and how it modifies the spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission. The ultra-weak photon emission from control (non-wounded) and stressed (wounded) plants was monitored using different modes of ultra-weak photon emission measurement sensors like charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras and photomultiplier tubes (PMT) and the collected data were analyzed to determine the level of stress generated, photon emission patterns, and underlying biochemical process. It is generally considered that electronically excited species formed during the oxidative metabolic processes are responsible for the ultra-weak photon emission. In the current study, a high-performance cryogenic full-frame CCD camera was employed for two-dimensional in-vivo imaging of ultra-weak photon emission (up to several counts/s) and the spectral analysis was done by using spectral system connected to a PMT. The results show that Arabidopsis subjected to mechanical injury enhances the photon emission and also leads to changes in the spectral pattern of ultra-weak photon emission. Thus, ultra-weak photon emission can be used as a tool for oxidative stress imaging and can pave its way into numerous plant application research.

Non-invasive visualization of physiological changes of insects during metamorphosis based on biophoton emission imaging

Spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission from living organisms, designated as biophoton emission, is a generally observed phenomenon irrespective of the organism species. Biophoton emission is attributed to the production of excited molecules in a metabolic biochemical reaction, especially in processes involving reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although many plant and mammal subjects have reportedly been used to study its application to biological measurements, biophoton emission properties of insects remain unclear. For this study, we strove to measure the variation of two-dimensional images of biophoton emission during the metamorphosis of lepidopterous insects as a moving picture to elucidate the physiological changes underlying the mechanism of drastic changes of morphological and ecological characteristics of the insects. We used our developed biophoton imaging system incorporating a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and a specially designed lens system to elucidate the spatiotemporal dynamics of biophoton emission during metamorphosis, larval–pupal ecdysis/pupation of Papilio protenor, suggesting its applicability for in vivo observation of physiological changes during the regulation of metamorphosis.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission (autoluminescence) from human hands measured with an EMCCD camera: Dependence on time of day, date and individual subject

Spatio-temporal dynamics of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission (autoluminescence) from human hands measured with an EMCCD camera: Dependence on time of day, date and individual subject

Ultra-weak photon emission in healthy subjects and patients with type 2 diabetes: evidence for a non-invasive diagnostic tool.

Spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) is a common phenomenon in biological systems and has been linked to pathological states. Researchers have always considered ultra-weak photon emission a potential non-invasive diagnostic tool, but its application in the medical field is stagnant due to the lack of relevant data for pathological states. Ultra-weak photon signals from five body sites (forehead, neck, heart, stomach, and navel) in fifty patients with type 2 diabetes and sixty age-matched healthy subjects were measured using a moveable whole-body biophoton detection system. Photon signal is measured for 10 min and detected in bins of 50 ms by a photomultiplier with a range of 290-630 nm. Each signal is a time series of 12 000 elements. Various parameters including photon intensity, Q value, squeezed state parameters (|α|, θ, ø, r) and SSI were analyzed. we found significant differences in the abovementioned parameters between groups, and all subjects could be clustered into two groups according to the results obtained by principal component analysis. Methods and results from this study could be useful for constructing a UPE database for a range of diseases, which would promote the application of UPE in clinical diagnosis in the future.

Spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission in correlation to inflammatory metabolism and oxidative stress in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis

The increasing prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis has driven the development of new approaches and technologies for investigating the pathophysiology of this devastating, chronic disease. From the perspective of systems biology, combining comprehensive personal data such as metabolomics profiling with ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) data may provide key information regarding the complex pathophysiology underlying rheumatoid arthritis. In this article, we integrated UPE with metabolomics-based technologies in order to investigate collagen-induced arthritis, a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, at the systems level, and we investigated the biological underpinnings of the complex dataset. Using correlation networks, we found that elevated inflammatory and ROS-mediated plasma metabolites are strongly correlated with a systematic reduction in amine metabolites, which is linked to muscle wasting in rheumatoid arthritis. We also found that increased UPE intensity is strongly linked to metabolic processes (with correlation co-efficiency |r| value >0.7), which may be associated with lipid oxidation that related to inflammatory and/or ROS-mediated processes. Together, these results indicate that UPE is correlated with metabolomics and may serve as a valuable tool for diagnosing chronic disease by integrating inflammatory signals at the systems level. Our correlation network analysis provides important and valuable information regarding the disease process from a system-wide perspective.

Endogenous spontaneous ultraweak photon emission in the formation of eye-specific retinogeniculate projections before birth.

In 1963, it was suggested [Sperry, R.W. (1963). Chemoaffinity in the orderly growth of nerve fiber patterns and connections. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 50, 703-710.] that molecular cues can direct the development of orderly connections between the eye and the brain (the "chemoaffinity hypothesis"). In the same year, the amazing degree of functional accuracy of the visual pathway in the absence of any external light/photon perception prior to birth [Wiesel, T.N and Hubel, D.H. (1963). Single-cell responses in striate cortex of kittens deprived of vision in one eye. J. Neurophysiol. 26, 1003-1017.] was discovered. These recognitions revealed that the wiring of the visual system relies on innate cues. However, how the eye-specific retinogeniculate pathway can be developed before birth without any visual experience is still an unresolved issue. In the present paper, we suggest that Müller cells (functioning as optical fibers), Müller cell cone (i.e. the inner half of the foveola that is created of an inverted cone-shaped zone of Müller cells), discrete retinal noise of rods, and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells might have key functions by means of retinal spontaneous ultraweak photon emission in the development of eye-specific retinogeniculate pathways prior to birth.

The Physical Mechanism for Retinal Discrete Dark Noise: Thermal Activation or Cellular Ultraweak Photon Emission?

For several decades the physical mechanism underlying discrete dark noise of photoreceptors in the eye has remained highly controversial and poorly understood. It is known that the Arrhenius equation, which is based on the Boltzmann distribution for thermal activation, can model only a part (e.g. half of the activation energy) of the retinal dark noise experimentally observed for vertebrate rod and cone pigments. Using the Hinshelwood distribution instead of the Boltzmann distribution in the Arrhenius equation has been proposed as a solution to the problem. Here, we show that the using the Hinshelwood distribution does not solve the problem completely. As the discrete components of noise are indistinguishable in shape and duration from those produced by real photon induced photo-isomerization, the retinal discrete dark noise is most likely due to ‘internal photons’ inside cells and not due to thermal activation of visual pigments. Indeed, all living cells exhibit spontaneous ultraweak photon emission (UPE), mainly in the optical wavelength range, i.e., 350–700 nm. We show here that the retinal discrete dark noise has a similar rate as UPE and therefore dark noise is most likely due to spontaneous cellular UPE and not due to thermal activation.

Simultaneous and intercontinental tests show synchronism between the local gravimetric tide and the ultra-weak photon emission in seedlings of different plant species.

In order to corroborate the hypothesis that variations in the rate of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) from germinating seedlings are related to local variations of the lunisolar tidal force, a series of simultaneous tests was performed using the time courses of UPE collected from three plant species-corn, wheat and sunflower-and also from wheat samples whose grains were transported between continents, from Brazil to The Netherlands and vice versa. All tests which were run in parallel showed coincident inflections within the UPE time courses not only between seedlings of the same species but also between the different species. In most cases, the UPE inflections were synchronised with the turning points in the local gravimetric tidal variation. Statistical tests using the local Pearson correlation verified these coincidences in the two time series. The results therefore support the hypothesis of a relationship between UPE emissions and, in the oscillations, the local gravimetric tide. This applies to both the emissions from seedlings of different species and to the seedlings raised from transported grain samples of the same species.

Insect spontaneous ultraweak photon emission as an indicator of insecticidal compounds

The influence of beta-cypermethrin, a commercial insecticide, and Cicuta virosa L. var. latisecta Celak (Umbelliferae:Cicutal), an insecticidal plant, on the spontaneous ultraweak photon emissions from larvae of Spodoptera litura Fabricius and Zophobas morio Fabricius were studied. The increased percentages of spontaneous photon emission intensities from S. litura treated with 0.1 and 1μg/ml beta-cypermethrin were both lower than those of the control in the 24 post-treatment hours, remarkable difference could also be observed during the same period from Z. morio treated with beta-cypermethrin at 0.156, 0.313 and 0.625μg/ml. The increased percentages of spontaneous photon emission intensities from the two mentioned insects treated with 10,100 and 1000μg/ml petroleum ether fraction of C. virosa L. var. latisecta, which displayed little activity against whole insects, could also be changed noticeably. The present study indicated that change in the intensity of spontaneous ultraweak photon emission from insect could be used as a novel method for screening insecticidal compounds with very low content in plant.

Towards the two-dimensional imaging of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission from microbial, plant and animal cells

Two-dimensional imaging of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission was measured in the yeast cells, Arabidopsis plant and the human hand using highly sensitive charge coupled device (CCD) camera. For the first time, the detail analysis of measuring parameters such as accumulation time and binning is provided with the aim to achieve two-dimensional images of spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission of good quality. We present data showing that using a hardware binning with binning factor 4 × 4, the accumulation time decreases in the following order: yeast cells (30 min) > the human hand (20 min) > Arabidopsis plant (10 min). Analysis of measuring parameters provides a detailed description of standard condition to be used for two-dimensional spontaneous ultra-weak photon imaging in microbes, plants and animals. Thus, CCD imaging can be employed as a unique tool to examine the oxidative state of the living organism with the application in microbiological, plant and medical research.

Production of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical in potato tuber during the necrotrophic phase of hemibiotrophic pathogen Phytophthora infestans infection

In this study, evidence is provided on the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (HO) in the potato tuber during the necrotrophic phase of the hemibiotrophic pathogen Phytophthora infestans infection. Using 3,3-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) imaging technique, the formation of H2O2 was demonstrated in P. infestans-infected potato tuber. For the first time, HO formation was demonstrated in P. infestans-infected potato tuber using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. An enhancement in spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission indicated the extent of lipid peroxidation in the P. infestans-infected potato tuber. The data presented in this study reveal that the formation of H2O2 and HO in the P. infestans-infected potato tuber is associated with lipid peroxidation. It is proposed here that the ultra-weak photon emission can be used as a non-invasive indicator of the oxidative processes in the quality control at food industry.

Two‐dimensional imaging of spontaneous ultra‐weak photon emission from the human skin: role of reactive oxygen species

In the human skin, reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced continuously during oxidative metabolic processes (cellular respiration, oxidative burst) are essential for various cellular processes such as defense against infection, cellular signaling and apoptosis. On the other hand, when the formation of ROS exceeds a capacity of the non-enzymatic and the enzymatic antioxidant defense system, ROS cause the damage to the human skin known to initiate premature skin aging and skin cancer. In this study, two-dimensional spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission from the human skin has been measured using a highly sensitive charged coupled device (CCD) camera. It is demonstrated here that two-dimensional ultra-weak photon emission from the human skin increases with the topical application of exogenous ROS in the following order: hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) < superoxide anion radical (O₂•⁻) < hydroxyl radical (HO•). We propose here that the two-dimensional ultra-weak photon emission can be used as a non-invasive tool for the spatial and temporal monitoring of oxidative stress in the human skin.

Spontaneous ultraweak photon emission imaging of oxidative metabolic processes in human skin: effect of molecular oxygen and antioxidant defense system

All living organisms emit spontaneous ultraweak photon emission as a result of cellular metabolic processes. In this study, the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formed as the byproduct of oxidative metabolic processes in spontaneous ultraweak photon emission was studied in human hand skin. The effect of molecular oxygen and ROS scavengers on spontaneous ultraweak photon emission from human skin was monitored using a highly sensitive photomultiplier tube and charged coupled device camera. When spontaneous ultraweak photon emission was measured under anaerobic conditions, the photon emission was decreased, whereas under hyperaerobic condition the enhancement in photon emission was observed. Spontaneous ultraweak photon emission measured after topical application of glutathione, α-tocopherol, ascorbate, and coenzyme Q10 was observed to be decreased. These results reveal that ROS formed during the cellular metabolic processes in the epidermal cells play a significant role in the spontaneous ultraweak photon emission. It is proposed that spontaneous ultraweak photon emission can be used as a noninvasive tool for the temporal and spatial monitoring of the oxidative metabolic processes and intrinsic antioxidant system in human skin.

Ultra-weak photon emission as a non-invasive tool for monitoring of oxidative processes in the epidermal cells of human skin: comparative study on the dorsal and the palm side of the hand

All living organisms emit spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission as a result of cellular metabolic processes. Exposure of living organisms to exogenous factors results in oxidative processes and enhancement in ultra-weak photon emission. Here, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), as a strongly oxidizing molecule, was used to induce oxidative processes and enhance ultra-weak photon emission in human hand skin. The presented work intends to compare both spontaneous and peroxide-induced ultra-weak photon emission from the epidermal cells on the dorsal and the palm side of the hand. A highly sensitive photomultiplier tube and a charge-coupled device camera were used to detect ultra-weak photon emission from human hand skin. Spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission from the epidermal cells on the dorsal side of the hand was 4 counts/s. Topical application of 500 mM H(2)O(2) to the dorsal side of the hand caused enhancement in ultra-weak photon emission to 40 counts/s. Interestingly, both spontaneous and peroxide-induced ultra-weak photon emission from the epidermal cells on the palm side of the hand were observed to increase twice their values, i.e. 8 and 80 counts/s, respectively. Similarly, the two-dimensional image of ultra-weak photon emission observed after topical application of H(2)O(2) to human skin reveals that photon emission from the palm side exceeds the photon emission from the dorsal side of the hand. The results presented indicate that the ultra-weak photon emission originating from the epidermal cells on the dorsal and the palm side of the hand is related to the histological structure of the human hand skin. Ultra-weak photon emission is shown as a non-destructive technique for monitoring of oxidative processes in the epidermal cells of the human hand skin and as a diagnostic tool for skin diseases.

Using ultra-weak photon emission to determine the effect of oligomeric proanthocyanidins on oxidative stress of human skin

Exposure of skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation triggers oxidative stress in skin tissue that can lead to erythema, early skin aging or even cancer. It is suggested that oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), phytonutrients that belong to the polyphenol family have an anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory activity on the skin. Measuring ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) is a non-invasive, fairly-sensitive and convenient technique for continuously monitoring oxidative stress. The present study was undertaken to confirm anti-oxidant activity of the specific OPCs cream formulation in human skin by measuring UPE of skin. In the present study 25 healthy female subjects participated. As a baseline measurement of skin, UPE was recorded from the dorsal surface of the subjects’ hands before (spontaneous UPE) and after exposure to UV (UV-induced UPE). The effects of the OPCs cream on spontaneous and UV-induced UPE were measured using a fractionated UV exposure protocol. UV exposure resulted in an increase in UPE from both hands. Repeat UV exposure also resulted in a long-term increase of spontaneous UPE. This is likely due to depletion of anti-oxidant capacity of skin resulting in sensitization of skin to UV. It was assessed by measuring spontaneous UPE at 80 min after each UV exposure. Application of the OPCs cream immediately after UV exposure resulted in a significant (approx. 30%) decrease in UV-induced UPE. Topical OPCs cream application also reduced sensitization of skin to UV following repeated UV exposure (i.e., reduced long-term increase in spontaneous UPE). This study indicates that the specific OPCs cream formulation significantly decreases UV-induced oxidative stress in human skin based on UPE measurement. It therefore suggests that regular use of this OPCs cream might protect skin from harmful effects of UV.

Topical formulation containing natural oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCS) reduces UV-induced oxidative stress in skin as assessed by ultra-weak photon emission (UPE)

Background OPCs are natural phytonutrients of the flavanol family. The dietary supplement ingredient MASQUELIER's ® OPCs has been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasculo-protective properties in humans, which suggested potential benefits as a topical formulation for skin health. Exposure of skin to UV triggers oxidative stress in skin tissue that can lead to erythema, skin aging or even cancer. Our previous studies have shown that a specific topical formulation (cream containing MASQUELIER's ® OPCs) can significantly reduce UV-induced erythema in skin of human subjects and in animals, indicating it has antioxidant activity in skin. Objective This study was undertaken to further establish antioxidant activity of the specific OPCs cream formulation in human skin by measuring ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) of skin. UPE measurement in skin is a non-invasive, fairly-sensitive and convenient technique for continuously monitoring oxidative stress (Sauermann, 1999). Methods The study was an open-label study in 25 healthy volunteers. Measurement of skin UPE was performed on the dorsal surface of the subjects’ hands before (spontaneous UPE) and after exposure to UV (UV-induced UPE). The effects of the OPCs cream on spontaneous and UV-induced UPE were measured using a fractionated UV exposure protocol. Results Within each subject, spontaneous UPE of the right and left hand were found to be significantly correlated ( r =0.9; p =0.000). UV-induced UPE of the right and left hand were also significantly correlated ( r =0.87; p =0.000). UV exposure resulted in a long-term (>80 min) increase of spontaneous UPE. This is likely due to depletion of antioxidant capacity of skin, which is quantifiable by the fractionated UV-exposure protocol. Application of the OPCs cream immediately after UV exposure resulted in a significant (approx. 30%) decrease in UV-induced UPE. Topical OPCs application also reduced UV-induced long-term increase in spontaneous UPE, indicating prevention depletion of antioxidant capacity of skin by UV. Conclusions This study indicates that the specific OPCs cream formulation significantly decreases UV-induced oxidative stress in human skin based on UPE measurement, thereby suggesting that regular use of this OPCs cream might protect skin from harmful effects of UV.

Differential Effects of Relaxation Techniques on Ultraweak Photon Emission

Evidence has accumulated favoring the possible role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. Meditation is utilized as an adjunct to conventional medical treatment for several clinical conditions. A few studies suggest a role of long-term meditation in the control of the free-radical metabolism. Many techniques for recording reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been made available. However, most are invasive and none are applicable to all conditions. Attention has recently been drawn to spontaneous ultraweak photon emission (UPE). However, the application of this method in meditation studies is very limited. The present study recorded spontaneous UPE at multiple anatomic locations of subjects with long-term experience in transcendental meditation (TM) and compared this with a group that practiced other meditation techniques (OMT) and with subjects having no meditation experience. The study examined the anatomic pattern of UPE of 20 subjects practicing TM, compared to 20 subjects practicing OMT, and 20 control subjects with no experience in meditation. Subjects were men who were reported to be healthy and nonsmokers. Meditation was not practiced on the day prior to recording. UPE was recorded in a dark room, using a highly sensitive, cooled photomultiplier system designed for manipulation in three directions. The protocol for the multisite registration of UPE included recording 12 anatomic locations, including the anterior torso, head, neck, and hands. Data demonstrated emission intensities in the TM and OMT groups that were 27% and 17% lower, respectively, compared to the control group. The decrease was recorded at all anatomic locations. The percent emission contribution of each location to total emission was very similar for the three groups. Data supported the hypothesis that persistent meditation resulted in decreased UPE. However, the determination of oxidation levels as the source of group differences needs to be verified further to confirm our hypothesis.