Biophoton Radiations Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide in Mouse Liver Slices and Hepatocyte Nuclei in Relation to the Biophysical Action Mechanism of Reactive Oxygen Species

Background: Although a large number of studies have confirmed that the different levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cytoplasm and nucleus have effects on cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, the exact mechanism of ROS action is unclear. An important reason is that the production and degradation time of ROS in cells is very short, and therefore it’s difficult to understand the mechanism of action based on the traditional molecular action process through the ROS diffusion and target binding. Methods: The fresh liver tissue slices were prepared and the nuclei of hepatocytes were separated from Kunming mice according to the reported method. Liver tissue slices and hepatocyte nuclei were perfused with extracellular or intracellular fluids containing different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and real-time imaging monitoring of biophotonic emission was carried out using an ultra-weak biophoton imaging system. Results: The results showed that the continuous perfusion with different concentrations of H2O2 (300, 400 and 500 μM, respectively) resulted in significant increase of biophotonic emissions, presenting a concentration-dependent effect in liver tissue slices and achieving the maximum effect at 400 μM, while the significant enhancement was found after 500 μM treatment on the hepatocyte nuclei. Conclusion: This study suggests that ROS generated in cells may achieve its physiological and pathological effects via biophotonic emissions, which provides a new quantum biological mechanism of ROS, while the detailed clarification requires further research.