Ultraweak Luminescence Research Articles

Sensitive Detection and Cell Imaging of Ca2+ Based on a "Turn-On" Schiff Base Fluorescent Probe.

Ca2+ ion as a second messenger in signaling pathway plays many vital roles in many biological phenomena. Thus, it is of significance for developing effective probes to detect Ca2+ ion specifically. Herein, a new Schiff base fluorescent probe FPH, fluorescein monoaldehyde (2-aminomethylpyridine) hydrazone, was designed and synthesized to identify Ca2+ in DMSO aqueous solution. The probe FPH revealed significant responses to Ca2+ with a fluorescence enhancement at 540 nm, exhibiting an evident fluorescence change from ultraweak luminescence to bright green. Otherwise, the FPH displayed a good linear range of 0.67 × 10-6 to 3.33 × 10-6 mol/L with a lower detection limit at 7.02 × 10-8 mol/L. The probe FPH were further successfully utilized to detect Ca2+ in living cells by an increased bright green fluorescence.

Delayed luminescence to monitor growth stages and assess the entropy of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Delayed luminescence (DL) refers to the photon-induced ultra-weak luminescence emitted by samples after the light source is switched off. As a noninvasive method for health monitoring and disease diagnosis, DL has attracted increasing attention. The further development of this technology is valuable for the study of complex biological processes, such as different growth stages. If such studies were to be conducted in humans, large numbers of subjects of all ages would need to be recruited, and individual differences would be inevitable. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) has a short population lifespan, and the growth phases can be monitored within dozens of hours. Therefore, S. cerevisiae is an ideal model organism for research. In this study, we investigated the physiological characteristics and DL emission of S. cerevisiae during growth in glucose-based media and entry into stationary phase, and the results showed that DL kinetic curves of yeast cells in the growing phase were obviously separated from those of stationary phase cells. Moreover, the metabolic and physiological characteristics of the yeast cell population were discussed using the DL emission parameters I0, τ and γ. We also discussed the possibility of assessing entropy using DL emission parameters. Our research demonstrates the potential of this technology to be used in wider applications.

Relationship between photosystem activity and ultraweak luminescence excitation in Cerasus humilis leaves under salt stress

Cerasus humilis (Bge.) Sok (C. humilis) is a wild fruit tree endemic to China. It mainly grows on saline land and often suffers from osmotic stress. Biophotons are ultraweak luminescence (UWL) radiations that are closely related to various biological processes and activities. UWL emission essentially originates from the oxidative stress process of organisms. However, it is unclear whether UWL production is related to the redox state of chloroplasts. Therefore, to understand the UWL emission mechanism in plants, we studied the effect of salt stress on the photosystem (PS) activity and UWL of C. humilis leaves and analyzed the correlation between PS activity and UWL. The results showed that salt stress severely inhibited the PS activity of C. humilis leaves and oxygen-evolving complex, damaged the integrity of the thylakoid membrane, decreased the photochemical efficiency of PSII, and hindered the QA-QB electron transfer. At the same time, the intensity of UWL also decreased. Further, correlation analyses of PS activity indices and UWL showed that UWL was significantly correlated with main parameters of photosystem activity such as PSII the maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and photosynthetic performance index based on absorbed light energy (PIABS), as well as the absorption, capture, and transfer of energy in the unit reaction center and unit leaf section. These results indicated that the PS activity of C. humilis was related to the production of UWL, and the intensity of UWL decreased with the decrease in PS activity.

Selected Properties of Juices from Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) Fruits Preserved Using the PEF Method

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) fruit and processed berries have very high biological value because they are a rich source of bioactive compounds. The method of black chokeberry juice preservation is of key importance. One of the more recent ways in which semiliquid and liquid products can be preserved is the pulsed electric field (PEF) method. The aim of our study was to compare chosen physical and chemical properties of fresh and PEF-preserved chokeberry fruit juices derived from farms located in the vicinity of Cracow (Kraków). The analysis focused on the physical properties and chemical composition of black chokeberry juices, their bioactive compound content, and antioxidant activity. After using the PEF method, there was an increase in dry weight, sugars, and polyphenols, which could be caused by the slight evaporation of water during the process. During this process, antioxidant activity decreased, and ultra-weak luminescence slightly increased. The process of preserving juices using the PEF method is a good way to preserve the bioactive properties of the obtained aronia juices.

An effective detection method for wheat mold based on ultra weak luminescence

It is widely known that mold is one of important indices in assessing the quality of stored wheat. First, mold will decrease the quality of wheat kernels; the wheat kernels infected by mold can produce secondary metabolites, such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, fumonisins and so on. Second, the mycotoxins metabolized by mycetes are extremely harmful to humans; once the food or feed is made of by those wheat kernels infected by mold, it will cause serious health problems on human beings as well as animals. Therefore, the effective and accurate detection of wheat mold is vitally important to evaluate the storage and subsequent processing quality of wheat kernels. However, traditional methods for detecting wheat mold mainly rely on biochemical methods, which always involve complex and long pretreatment processes, and waste part of wheat samples for each detection. In view of this, this paper proposes a type of eco-friendly and nondestructive wheat mold detection method based on ultra weak luminescence. The specific implementation process is as follows: firstly, ultra weak luminescence signals of the healthy and the moldy wheat subsamples are measured by a photon analyzer; secondly, the approximate entropy and multiscale approximate entropy are introduced as the main classification features separately; finally, the detection model has been established based on the support vector machine in order to classify two types of wheat subsamples. The receiver operating characteristic curve of the newly established detection model shows that the highest classification accuracy rate can reach 93.1%, which illustrates that our proposed detection model is feasible and promising for detecting wheat mold.

Evaluation of intracellular materials by biophotons released from cultured cells irradiated with atmospheric-pressure plasma

Biophotons (i.e. photons emitted from living organisms) cause ultra-weak luminescence, induced by reactive oxygen species generated by redox reactions during intracellular respiration. Similarly, regarding the bio-application of atmospheric-pressure plasma in plasma medicine, the oxidative stress reaction by reactive species is involved in the proliferation and cell death of living tissues. We performed non-contact and non-invasive measurements of biophotons released from cultured cells immediately after plasma irradiation. Due to oxidative stress caused by reactive species generated by plasma irradiation, the release of biophotons from the cells and the production of nitric oxide were confirmed.

Ultra-weak emission and microcurrents instabilities in blue GaN LEDs at different stages of degradation

It is found that the ultra-weak luminescence observed in microcurrents mode in blue GaN LEDs with multiple quantum wells is due to tunnel-recombination processes with the participation of defect states and local potential wells of various depths, which arise as a result of 
 planar fluctuations of indium in the InGaN layers of the active region. Digital photographs were obtained and patterns of ultra-weak luminescence of the surface of LED crystals were analyzed. It is shown that the patterns of luminescence, along with the current-voltage characteristic, demonstrate significant changes after testing even at the initial stages of degradation, which indicates a high sensitivity of these parameters to degradation processes and the possibility of their use in diagnostic and non-destructive testing methods.

Non-contact and non-invasive monitoring of plant growth combining atmospheric pressure remote plasma treatment and detection of plant-derived biophotons

The present study demonstrated non-contact and non-invasive monitoring of plant growth by combining atmospheric pressure remote plasma treatment with measurement of the ultra-weak luminescence of biophotons emitted from plants. Biophotons were more likely to be emitted from plasma-irradiated seeds than from unirradiated seeds. Furthermore, these results could characterize the germination state of seeds in a non-contact and non-invasive manner and will help elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying the growth-promoting effects of plasma irradiation as well as the development of “plasma agriculture”.

Stochastic light concentration from 3D to 2D reveals ultraweak chemi- and bioluminescence

For countless applications in science and technology, light must be concentrated, and concentration is classically achieved with reflective and refractive elements. However, there is so far no efficient way, with a 2D detector, to detect photons produced inside an extended volume with a broad or isotropic angular distribution. Here, with theory and experiment, we propose to stochastically transform and concentrate a volume into a smaller surface, using a high-albedo Ulbricht cavity and a small exit orifice through cavity walls. A 3D gas of photons produced inside the cavity is transformed with a 50% number efficiency into a 2D Lambertian emitting orifice with maximal radiance and a much smaller size. With high-albedo quartz-powder cavity walls (rho =99.94%), the orifice area is 1/(1-rho )approx 1600 times smaller than the walls’ area. When coupled to a detectivity-optimized photon-counter (mathcal{D}=0.015,{text{photon}}^{-1},{text{s}}^{1/2}text{ cm}) the detection limit is 110;{text{photon}};{text{s}}^{ - 1} ;{text{L}}^{ - 1}. Thanks to this unprecedented sensitivity, we could detect the luminescence produced by the non-catalytic disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide in pure water, which has not been observed so far. We could also detect the ultraweak bioluminescence produced by yeast cells at the onset of their growth. Our work opens new perspectives for studying ultraweak luminescence, and the concept of stochastic 3D/2D conjugation should help design novel light detection methods for large samples or diluted emitters.

Luminescent Analysis of Blood Serum for Diagnostics of Pathological and Pre-Pathological States of Cancer Patients.

This study is devoted to the development of a methodological approach to mathematical analysis and data interpretation of blood serum phosphorescence intensity in cancer patients for determining the pathological states and differential diagnostics of oncological process stages. The purpose of the study is blood serum phosphorescence research in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and stomach adenocarcinoma (SAC) and determination of the ultraweak luminescence role for diagnostics of the disease, determining its stages, control of pathogenetic therapy efficiency and forecast of recovery. The values of phosphorescence intensity of blood serum films in patients with CRC and SAC are significantly higher than the corresponding values for the control group. Contrary to the absolute intensity, the relative intensity increase compared to the control group is much more informative for oncoprocess diagnostics, since it exhibits three times increase even at the first stage of tumoral process. Serum phosphorescence intensity continues to increase with progressing of the disease. As the result of our study, the relative intensity increase compared to the first stage can be recommended as an informative indicator for differential diagnostics of oncological process stages. As a conclusion, determination of blood serum phosphorescence intensity can be considered as a sensitive and specific diagnostic method in oncology. With a correct methodological approach to data processing and interpretation, this method can be used in clinical practice for determining the oncopathological states, differential diagnostics of oncoprocess stages and diagnostics of precancer changes, which precede tumoral process development.

Detectivity optimization to measure ultraweak light fluxes using an EM-CCD as binary photon counter array

For a wide range of purposes, one faces the challenge to detect light from extremely faint and spatially extended sources. In such cases, detector noises dominate over the photon noise of the source, and quantum detectors in photon counting mode are generally the best option. Here, we combine a statistical model with an in-depth analysis of detector noises and calibration experiments, and we show that visible light can be detected with an electron-multiplying charge-coupled devices (EM-CCD) with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 3 for fluxes less than 30,{text{photon}},{text{s}}^{ - 1} ,{text{cm}}^{ - 2}. For green photons, this corresponds to 12 aW {text{cm}}^{ - 2} ≈ 9{ } times 10^{ - 11} lux, i.e. 15 orders of magnitude less than typical daylight. The strong nonlinearity of the SNR with the sampling time leads to a dynamic range of detection of 4 orders of magnitude. To detect possibly varying light fluxes, we operate in conditions of maximal detectivity {mathcal{D}} rather than maximal SNR. Given the quantum efficiency QEleft( lambda right) of the detector, we find { mathcal{D}} = 0.015,{text{photon}}^{ - 1} ,{text{s}}^{1/2} ,{text{cm}}, and a non-negligible sensitivity to blackbody radiation for T > 50 °C. This work should help design highly sensitive luminescence detection methods and develop experiments to explore dynamic phenomena involving ultra-weak luminescence in biology, chemistry, and material sciences.

Influence of constant electric field impact on the intensity and structure of the secondary luminescence of selected industrial Cannabis products

The purpose of the experiments was to determine the size and structure of ultra-weak luminescence before and after the electric field. Photon emission tests were carried out in the Laboratory of Experimental Research Techniques of Raw Materials and Biological Products with PCA accreditation in the subject measurement procedure.

Analysis of Selected Properties of Fruits of Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa L.) from Organic and Conventional Cultivation

Chokeberry fruits can be treated as very rich sources of bioactive compounds and, therefore, have a very high biological value. The purpose of the study was to compare selected chemical and physical properties of chokeberry fruits, both from organic and conventional cultivations located near Cracow. Chemical composition of the fruit, content of the antioxidant activity, bioactive compounds, and ultra-weak luminescence were analyzed. It was proved that chokeberry fruits are rich in bioactive compounds and that ecological crops produce fruits with a higher level of such compounds. Chokeberry fruits from organic farms were proven to have a higher content of bioactive ingredients and antioxidant activity than in traditionally grown fruits. The total amount of sugars was ambiguous because both the highest and the lowest values were determined in fruits from traditional cultivation. Photon emissivity determined on the basis of ultra-weak luminescence was higher in fruits from organic cultivations. A very high correlation was also found between the photon emissivity and the content of polyphenols as well as the antioxidant activity.

Extremely weak light emission during the healing process by biophotons emitted from wounds irradiated with atmospheric pressure plasma

Biophotons are a type of ultra-weak luminescence emitted from living organisms due to biological reactions and are effective as a non-contact and non-invasive diagnostic tool for diseases caused by oxidative stress. We measured biophotons emitted from a wound irradiated with atmospheric pressure plasma containing reactive species that produce an effect similar to oxidative stress. We evaluated the effectiveness of this non-contact and non-invasive diagnostic approach for measuring time-dependent changes in inflammation and tissue regeneration based on photons emitted during these processes.

Integrating ultra weak luminescence properties and multi-scale permutation entropy algorithm to analyze freshness degree of wheat kernel

With the improvement of agricultural productivity, the wheat yield in China is soaring, which extremely burdens the quality guarantee pressure both in circulation and storage. According to the incomplete statistics, we loss millions of tons wheat every year because of freshness degree, mould, insects intrusion and so on. Thus finding an effective method to detect wheat kernel’s freshness degree is of necessity for guiding scientific storage of wheat. Up to now, process of wheat kernel’s freshness degree analysis can be divided into sensory evaluation, biochemical detection and physical detection method. Due to the inevitable deficits existed among these traditional methods, a novel method to detect freshness degree of wheat kernel based on ultra weak luminescence(UWL) characteristics integrated with multi-scale permutation entropy(MPE) algorithm has been proposed. Through calculating the mean value, variance, standard deviation, and MPE of four year’s wheat kernel separately, then further resorting to back propagation neural network to make the classification. Compared with traditional analogy methods, the new method not only improves the correct rate from 82.5%–92.5%, but also saves running time nearly three times shorter than PE algorithm. Shown by the experiment results, the new method proposed above is an efficient and feasible way to analyze freshness degree of wheat kernel.

Characterization of the hot and cold medicinal properties of traditional Chinese herbs by spontaneous photon emission ratio of mice

Ethnopharmacological relevanceOne important therapeutic characteristic of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for its properly-guided clinical prescription is considering the cold and hot medicinal properties of traditional Chinese herbs. According to the TCM theory, the hot and cold medicinal properties are defined by the general responses of a human body to a given herbal medicine. This definition is subjective and ambiguous which attenuates the modernization of TCM. Biological spontaneous photon emission (SE) is a normal phenomenon reflecting the transition of the quantum state of molecules inside an organism. The alteration of its level can indicate the changes of many aspects of the organism including metabolism. Thus, we can exploit this feature to develop a novel and scientific approach to quantitively and objectively characterize the hot and cold medicinal properties of traditional Chinese herbs. ObjectiveTo determine whether SE can be used to characterize the hot and cold medicinal properties of traditional Chinese herbs, this study took advantage of the ultra-weak luminescence detection technology to examine the effects of traditional Chinese herbs with hot or cold medicinal property to the level of SE in mice. Materials and methodsMice were intragastrically administered with twenty traditional Chinese herbs harboring cold or hot property for ten consecutive days respectively. During the course of treatment, SE intensity of the abdomen and the back of each individual mouse were measured and recorded. At the end of the treatment, the total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase activity, Na+-K+-ATPase activity and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activity in the liver of all mice were examined. ResultsRatio between the SE intensity of the abdomen and back of mice (defined as SE ratio) was able to distinguish the cold and hot medicinal properties of traditional Chinese herbs. Mice treated with hot herbs and cold herbs have higher and lower SE ratios respectively compared with control mice. Furthermore, levels of selected biochemical indexes in the liver were correlated with most of the SE ratio changes induced by herbal treatment. ConclusionsWe have developed a novel and promising approach to quantitatively investigate herbal properties and we propose that SE ratio defined in this study can serve as a sensitive parameter to characterize the cold and hot medicinal properties of traditional Chinese herbs.

Evaluation of Quality of Eggs from Hens Kept in Caged and Free-Range Systems Using Traditional Methods and Ultra-Weak Luminescence

The paper presents the results of an evaluation of the quality of eggs from laying hens kept in caged and free range systems using traditional methods and ultra-weak luminescence (USL). It was found that the tested eggs were fresh and were characterized by the required quality, as demonstrated by analysis of the egg white and egg yolk. Eggs from free-range laying hens were characterized by an eight-fold higher emission of photons compared to eggs from caged hens, and they had over three times higher content of natural antioxidants in the form of carotenoids. Most probably, the higher number of photons emitted is associated with a higher content of biologically active substances in the material under study. Photon emission also varies in different ways depending on the specific hen breeding system. Differences in time in the identified maximum values of photon emission result from the composition of individual parts of the egg. Different times in which the emission peaks occurred for free-range eggs and for caged eggs were observed. The application of the USL method in order to confirm its usefulness in the assessment of food quality requires further research.

Воздействие электромагнитных полей микроволнового диапазона модифицирует сверхслабое свечение продуктов жизнедеятельности клеток.

Воздействие электромагнитных полей микроволнового диапазона модифицирует сверхслабое свечение продуктов жизнедеятельности клеток.

Research on the biophoton emission of wheat kernels based on permutation entropy

For the study of nonlinear dynamic characteristics of Biophoton Emission signal of wheat kernels, the permutation entropy is introduced to distinguish normal kernels and infected ones. The utility of permutation entropy for wheat signal with different degree of ultra weak luminescence is investigated, and the effect of embedded dimension and time delay on permutation entropy is studied. Experimental results on ultra weak luminescence signal of wheat analysis confirm that the permutation entropy provides an effective measure for testing the difference between normal wheat and infected wheat.

Manipulation of cellular energy reveals the relationship between ultraweak luminescence and cellular energy during senescence of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruits

The goal of this study was to investigate the ultraweak luminescence (UWL) of strawberry fruits in relation to mitochondrial functions and energy production during strawberry senescence. Fully ripe strawberry fruits and mitochondria isolated from those fruits were treated with either adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or the respiratory chain uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP). The activities of H+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase, the content of ATP, the free radical O2− as well as the UWL intensity were measured. Our results showed that activities of H+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase as well as the ATP content gradually decreased during fruit senescence in all three groups. Compared with the control, DNP treatment exacerbated, while ATP treatment reduced the decrease of H+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase activity, the energy charge and UWL intensity. UWL intensity was positively correlated with mitochondrial function and ATP content. Our results strongly suggest that mitochondria are a major source of UWL of strawberry fruits, and that the cellular energy ATP plays important roles in senescence of strawberry fruits, and in UWL formation. Our study provides convincing evidence of the interrelationship between cellular energy and UWL, which helps researchers to better understand the process of senescence in strawberry fruits.