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Sodium nitrite potentiates antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation: possible involvement of peroxynitrate

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Abstract

We have recently shown that a wide range of different inorganic salts can potentiate antimicrobial photo-dynamic inactivation (aPDI) and TiO2-mediated antimicrobial photocatalysis. Potentiation has been shown with azide, bromide, thiocyanate, selenocyanate, and most strongly, with iodide. Here we show that sodium nitrite can also potentiate broad-spectrum aPDI killing of Gram-positive MRSA and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. Literature reports have previously shown that two photosensitizers (PS), methylene blue (MB) and riboflavin, when excited by broad-band light in the presence of nitrite could lead to tyrosine nitration. Addition of up to 100 mM nitrite gave 6 logs of extra killing in the case of Rose Bengal excited by green light against E. coli, and 2 logs of extra killing against MRSA (eradication in both cases). Comparable results were obtained for other PS (TPPS4 + blue light and MB + red light). Some bacterial killing was obtained when bacteria were added after light using a functionalized fullerene (LC15) + nitrite + blue light, and tyrosine ester amide was nitrated using both “in” and “after” modes with all four PS. The mechanism could involve formation of peroxynitrate by a reaction between superoxide radicals and nitrogen dioxide radicals; formation of the latter species was demonstrated by spin trapping with nitromethane.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Ying-Ying Huang, Brijesh Bhayana & Michael R. Hamblin

  2. Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Ying-Ying Huang & Michael R. Hamblin

  3. Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications, AGH University of Science and Technology, Krakow, Poland

    Paweł J. Rajda

  4. Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

    Grzegorz Szewczyk & Tadeusz Sarna

  5. Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA

    Long Y. Chiang

  6. Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Michael R. Hamblin

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  1. Ying-Ying Huang
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Correspondence to Michael R. Hamblin.

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Huang, YY., Rajda, P.J., Szewczyk, G. et al. Sodium nitrite potentiates antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation: possible involvement of peroxynitrate. Photochem Photobiol Sci 18, 505–515 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1039/c8pp00452h

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c8pp00452h

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