Skip to main content
  • Submit
  • About
    • Editorial Board
    • PNAS Staff
    • FAQ
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Journal Club
  • Subscribe
    • Subscription Rates
    • Subscriptions FAQ
    • Open Access
    • Recommend PNAS to Your Librarian
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Special Feature Articles - Most Recent
    • Special Features
    • Colloquia
    • Collected Articles
    • PNAS Classics
    • List of Issues
  • Front Matter
  • News
    • For the Press
    • This Week In PNAS
    • PNAS in the News
  • Podcasts
  • Authors
    • Information for Authors
    • Editorial and Journal Policies
    • Submission Procedures
    • Fees and Licenses
  • Submit
  • About
    • Editorial Board
    • PNAS Staff
    • FAQ
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Journal Club
  • Subscribe
    • Subscription Rates
    • Subscriptions FAQ
    • Open Access
    • Recommend PNAS to Your Librarian

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Home
Home

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Special Feature Articles - Most Recent
    • Special Features
    • Colloquia
    • Collected Articles
    • PNAS Classics
    • List of Issues
  • Front Matter
  • News
    • For the Press
    • This Week In PNAS
    • PNAS in the News
  • Podcasts
  • Authors
    • Information for Authors
    • Editorial and Journal Policies
    • Submission Procedures
    • Fees and Licenses

New Research In

Physical Sciences

Featured Portals

  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Sustainability Science

Articles by Topic

  • Applied Mathematics
  • Applied Physical Sciences
  • Astronomy
  • Computer Sciences
  • Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Statistics

Social Sciences

Featured Portals

  • Anthropology
  • Sustainability Science

Articles by Topic

  • Economic Sciences
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Political Sciences
  • Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
  • Social Sciences

Biological Sciences

Featured Portals

  • Sustainability Science

Articles by Topic

  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Anthropology
  • Applied Biological Sciences
  • Biochemistry
  • Biophysics and Computational Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Ecology
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Evolution
  • Genetics
  • Immunology and Inflammation
  • Medical Sciences
  • Microbiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology
  • Plant Biology
  • Population Biology
  • Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
  • Sustainability Science
  • Systems Biology
Research Article

Blue light reduces organ injury from ischemia and reperfusion

Du Yuan, Richard D. Collage, Hai Huang, Xianghong Zhang, Benjamin C. Kautza, Anthony J. Lewis, Brian S. Zuckerbraun, Allan Tsung, Derek C. Angus, and Matthew R. Rosengart
PNAS first published April 25, 2016; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1515296113
Du Yuan
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
bThe Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Richard D. Collage
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hai Huang
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Xianghong Zhang
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Benjamin C. Kautza
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Anthony J. Lewis
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Brian S. Zuckerbraun
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Allan Tsung
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Derek C. Angus
cDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Matthew R. Rosengart
aDepartment of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
cDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: rosengartmr@upmc.edu
  1. Edited by Gregg L. Semenza, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, and approved March 22, 2016 (received for review August 2, 2015)

  • Article
  • Figures & SI
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Significance

It is well established that light regulates mammalian biology. And yet, we have been unable to define and thus harness the underlying mechanisms so as to apply them to alter the course of human disease. In this study we determine that the spectrum of light is a critical determinant of its effect on critical illness. We show that an acute and short (24 h) exposure to high-illuminance (1,400 lx) blue spectrum (peak 442 nm) light prior to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) significantly attenuates the degree of organ injury. Our characterization of the biological mechanisms through which blue light beneficially alters the cellular response to I/R provides an opportunity to develop novel therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of many diseases.

Abstract

Evidence suggests that light and circadian rhythms profoundly influence the physiologic capacity with which an organism responds to stress. However, the ramifications of light spectrum on the course of critical illness remain to be determined. Here, we show that acute exposure to bright blue spectrum light reduces organ injury by comparison with bright red spectrum or ambient white fluorescent light in two murine models of sterile insult: warm liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and unilateral renal I/R. Exposure to bright blue light before I/R reduced hepatocellular injury and necrosis and reduced acute kidney injury and necrosis. In both models, blue light reduced neutrophil influx, as evidenced by reduced myeloperoxidase (MPO) within each organ, and reduced the release of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a neutrophil chemotactant and key mediator in the pathogenesis of I/R injury. The protective mechanism appeared to involve an optic pathway and was mediated, in part, by a sympathetic (β3 adrenergic) pathway that functioned independent of significant alterations in melatonin or corticosterone concentrations to regulate neutrophil recruitment. These data suggest that modifying the spectrum of light may offer therapeutic utility in sterile forms of cellular injury.

  • blue light
  • ischemia
  • reperfusion
  • organ injury
  • circadian rhythms

Footnotes

  • ↵1D.Y. and R.D.C. contributed equally to this work.

  • ↵2To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: rosengartmr{at}upmc.edu.
  • Author contributions: D.Y. and M.R.R. designed research; D.Y., R.D.C., H.H., X.Z., B.C.K., A.J.L., and M.R.R. performed research; D.Y., R.D.C., H.H., X.Z., B.C.K., A.J.L., B.S.Z., A.T., D.C.A., and M.R.R. analyzed data; and D.Y., X.Z., A.J.L., B.S.Z., A.T., D.C.A., and M.R.R. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1515296113/-/DCSupplemental.

Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

View Full Text
Next
Back to top
Article Alerts
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on PNAS.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Blue light reduces organ injury from ischemia and reperfusion
(Your Name) has sent you a message from PNAS
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the PNAS web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Blue light reduces organ injury from I/R
Du Yuan, Richard D. Collage, Hai Huang, Xianghong Zhang, Benjamin C. Kautza, Anthony J. Lewis, Brian S. Zuckerbraun, Allan Tsung, Derek C. Angus, Matthew R. Rosengart
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2016, 201515296; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515296113

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Blue light reduces organ injury from I/R
Du Yuan, Richard D. Collage, Hai Huang, Xianghong Zhang, Benjamin C. Kautza, Anthony J. Lewis, Brian S. Zuckerbraun, Allan Tsung, Derek C. Angus, Matthew R. Rosengart
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2016, 201515296; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515296113
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Mendeley logo Mendeley
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 118 (3)
Current Issue

Submit

Sign up for Article Alerts

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Materials and Methods
    • SI Materials and Methods
    • Acknowledgments
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & SI
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

You May Also be Interested in

Abstract depiction of a guitar and musical note
Science & Culture: At the nexus of music and medicine, some see disease treatments
Although the evidence is still limited, a growing body of research suggests music may have beneficial effects for diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Image credit: Shutterstock/agsandrew.
Large piece of gold
News Feature: Tracing gold's cosmic origins
Astronomers thought they’d finally figured out where gold and other heavy elements in the universe came from. In light of recent results, they’re not so sure.
Image credit: Science Source/Tom McHugh.
Dancers in red dresses
Journal Club: Friends appear to share patterns of brain activity
Researchers are still trying to understand what causes this strong correlation between neural and social networks.
Image credit: Shutterstock/Yeongsik Im.
White and blue bird
Hazards of ozone pollution to birds
Amanda Rodewald, Ivan Rudik, and Catherine Kling talk about the hazards of ozone pollution to birds.
Listen
Past PodcastsSubscribe
Goats standing in a pin
Transplantation of sperm-producing stem cells
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can improve the effectiveness of spermatogonial stem cell transplantation in mice and livestock, a study finds.
Image credit: Jon M. Oatley.

Similar Articles

Site Logo
Powered by HighWire
  • Submit Manuscript
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS Feeds
  • Email Alerts

Articles

  • Current Issue
  • Special Feature Articles – Most Recent
  • List of Issues

PNAS Portals

  • Anthropology
  • Chemistry
  • Classics
  • Front Matter
  • Physics
  • Sustainability Science
  • Teaching Resources

Information

  • Authors
  • Editorial Board
  • Reviewers
  • Librarians
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • PNAS Updates

Feedback    Privacy/Legal

Copyright © 2021 National Academy of Sciences. Online ISSN 1091-6490