The lethal effect produced by sunlight in bacteria depends on the photodynamic action of the ultraviolet component of the radiation. Neither the reactive oxygen species involved nor the targets for damage have been ce...The lethal effect produced by sunlight in bacteria depends on the photodynamic action of the ultraviolet component of the radiation. Neither the reactive oxygen species involved nor the targets for damage have been certainly identified, and the aim of this study was to address these issues. During exposures to natural sunlight, photo-protection provided by nitrogen sparging was compared with which provided by the addition of L-histidine （an efficient scavenger for hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen） or mannitol （an hydroxyl radical scavenger which reacts poorly with singlet oxygen） to the irradiation medium. Both scavengers reproduced for the most part the effect of oxygen depletion, indicating that damage depends mainly on hydroxyl radical generation. Survival of irradiated bacteria decreased considerably when they were cultured using a substrate unsuitable for fermentation, suggesting that respiration impairment is a key factor in cell killing. This observation is in keeping with the notion that the respiratory chain is the main target for the action of sunlight in Escherichia coli.展开更多
文摘The lethal effect produced by sunlight in bacteria depends on the photodynamic action of the ultraviolet component of the radiation. Neither the reactive oxygen species involved nor the targets for damage have been certainly identified, and the aim of this study was to address these issues. During exposures to natural sunlight, photo-protection provided by nitrogen sparging was compared with which provided by the addition of L-histidine （an efficient scavenger for hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen） or mannitol （an hydroxyl radical scavenger which reacts poorly with singlet oxygen） to the irradiation medium. Both scavengers reproduced for the most part the effect of oxygen depletion, indicating that damage depends mainly on hydroxyl radical generation. Survival of irradiated bacteria decreased considerably when they were cultured using a substrate unsuitable for fermentation, suggesting that respiration impairment is a key factor in cell killing. This observation is in keeping with the notion that the respiratory chain is the main target for the action of sunlight in Escherichia coli.
