Real-time imaging of photodynamic action in bacteria.

Fluorescence imaging studies of the processes leading to photodynamic inactivation of bacteria have been limited due to the small size of microorganisms as well as by the faint fluorescence of most photosensitizers. A versatile method based on highly-sensitive fluorescence microscopy is presented which allows to study, in real time, the incorporation of photosensitizers inside S. aureus upon photodynamic action.

UVA irradiation of fatty acids and their oxidized products substantially increases their ability to generate singlet oxygen.

UVA radiation plays an important role for adverse reactions in human tissue. UVA penetrates epidermis and dermis of skin being absorbed by various biomolecules, especially endogenous photosensitizers. This may generate deleterious singlet oxygen ((1)O2) that oxidizes fatty acids in cell membranes, lipoproteins, and other lipid-containing structures such as the epidermal barrier.