Photosensitized Oxidation Processes in Biological Systems
Summary
Photosensitized oxidation in living organisms is driven by light-activated chromophores that channel photonic energy into chemical reactions, yielding reactive oxygen species (ROS) capable of modifying biomolecules. Upon absorption of visible or ultraviolet light, a photosensitiser is excited to its singlet state and may intersystem-cross to a triplet state, which can then interact with ground-state oxygen to generate singlet oxygen via energy transfer (Type II mechanism) or produce radical species through electron or hydrogen transfer (Type I mechanism). These oxidative processes can alter lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, underpinning diverse phenomena from antimicrobial photodynamic therapy and targeted cancer treatments to undesirable phototoxicity and photoallergic reactions in skin. In biological membranes, photosensitised lipid peroxidation compromises barrier integrity, while protein oxidation can disturb enzyme activity and signalling pathways. Endogenous chromophores such as flavins, pterins and porphyrins serve physiological roles yet contribute to oxidative stress under aberrant illumination. Advances in understanding these mechanisms have revealed strategies for modulating photochemical damage, guiding the design of novel photosensitisers and protective agents with applications in medicine, biotechnology and environmental sciences.
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Photosensitized Oxidation Processes in Biological Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in photosensitized oxidation processes in biological systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Photosensitiser: A molecule that absorbs light and transfers energy or electrons to substrates, initiating oxidative reactions.
Singlet oxygen: An electronically excited form of molecular oxygen with higher reactivity than ground-state oxygen.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive oxygen derivatives, including superoxide, hydroxyl radicals and peroxides.
Type I mechanism: Photosensitised oxidation via electron or hydrogen transfer leading to radical species.
Type II mechanism: Photosensitised oxidation via energy transfer from an excited triplet photosensitiser to ground-state oxygen, producing singlet oxygen.
Quantum yield: The efficiency with which absorbed photons induce a specified photochemical or photophysical event.
Photoadduct: A covalent product formed between a photosensitiser and a biomolecule following light-induced reaction.
References
- Alternative cancer therapy through modeling pteridines photosensitizer quantum yield singlet oxygen production using swarm-based support vector regression and extreme learning machine. Cogent Engineering (2024).
- Pterin-lysine photoadduct: a potential candidate for photoallergy. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences (2022).
- Changes in the Oxidation-Reduction State of Human Dermal Fibroblasts as an Effect of Lomefloxacin Phototoxic Action. Cells (2022).
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