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Blue light kills Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans due to its endogenous photosensitizers

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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that the periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (AA) can be killed by irradiation with blue light derived from a LED light-curing unit due to its endogenous photosensitizers.

Materials and methods

Planktonic cultures of AA and Escherichia coli were irradiated with blue light from a bluephase® C8 light-curing unit with an emission peak at 460 nm, which is usually applied for polymerization of dental resins. A CFU-assay was performed for the analysis of viable bacteria after treatment. Moreover, bacterial cells were lysed and the lysed AA and E. coli were investigated for generation of singlet oxygen. Spectroscopic measurements of lysed AA and E. coli were performed and analyzed for characteristic absorption and emission peaks.

Results

A light dose of 150 J/cm2 induced a reduction of ≥5 log10 steps of viable AA, whereas no effect of blue light was found against E. coli. Spectrally resolved measurements of singlet oxygen luminescence showed clearly that a singlet oxygen signal is generated from lysed AA upon excitation at 460 nm. Spectroscopic measurements of lysed AA exhibited characteristic absorption and emission peaks similar to those of known porphyrins and flavins.

Conclusions

AA can be inactivated by irradiation with blue light only, without application of an exogenous photosensitizer.

Clinical relevance

These results encourage further studies on the potential use of these blue light-mediated auto-photosensitization processes in the treatment of periodontitis for the successful inactivation of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.

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Acknowledgments

Judith Heider is gratefully acknowledged for her help with modifying the Laemmli buffer for bacterial cell lysis. Johannes Regensburger and Anita Gollmer are funded by grants of the German Research Foundation (DFG-RE-3323/2-1 and DFG-GO-2340/1-1, respectively).

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Center Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Fabian Cieplik, Christoph Leibl, Laura Tabenski, Karl-Anton Hiller & Gottfried Schmalz

  2. Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Andreas Späth

  3. Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Anita Gollmer, Johannes Regensburger & Tim Maisch

Authors
  1. Fabian Cieplik
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  2. Andreas Späth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tim Maisch.

Additional information

Tim Maisch and Gottfried Schmalz share senior authorship.

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Cieplik, F., Späth, A., Leibl, C. et al. Blue light kills Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans due to its endogenous photosensitizers. Clin Oral Invest 18, 1763–1769 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1151-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1151-8

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