ACTION SPECTRA FOR HUMAN-SKIN CELLS - ESTIMATES OF THE RELATIVE CYTOTOXICITY OF THE MIDDLE ULTRAVIOLET, NEAR ULTRAVIOLET, AND VIOLET REGIONS OF SUNLIGHT ON EPIDERMAL-KERATINOCYTES
- 1 April 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Vol. 47 (7) , 1825-1829
Abstract
Action spectra for the cytotoxic action of electromagnetic radiation in the solar range 280-434 nm have been determined for human fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes derived from the same foreskin biopsy. The spectra for the two cell types are close to identical and coincide with our previously published data for a human lymphoblastoid line indicating that the mechanism of inactivation of the three human cell types is similar at any given wavelength. Using published data for ultraviolet transmission of human skin and sample spectral irradiance data, we have estimated the relative biological effectiveness of the middle ultraviolet (UVB) (290-320 nm), near ultraviolet (UVA) (320-380 nm), and violet (380-434 nm) regions of sunlight for cytotoxicity at the basal layer of the epidermis. We conclude that the UVB component in noon summer sunlight (the most UVB rich spectral conditions tested) may contribute only about 40% of the total cytotoxic effectiveness of sunlight at 290-434 nm. At lower zenith angles, UVA can account for up to 80% of the cytotoxic effectiveness of the combined UVA and UVB regions. Finally, a comparison of published action spectra data for human erythema with cytotoxicity data corrected for ultraviolet transmission to different depths of the human epidermis suggests that UVA erythema could be causally related to cytotoxicity occurring at an average depth of 40-50 .mu.m into the human epidermis.This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- AN ACTION SPECTRUM FOR UV PHOTOCARCINOGENESIS *Photochemistry and Photobiology, 1986
- Photoreactivation of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers and erythema in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1985
- Action spectra for killing and mutation of Chinese hamster cells exposed to mid- and near-ultraviolet monochromatic lightMutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, 1984
- TRANSMISSION OF HUMAN EPIDERMIS AND STRATUM CORNEUM AS A FUNCTION OF THICKNESS IN THE ULTRAVIOLET AND VISIBLE WAVELENGTHSPhotochemistry and Photobiology, 1984
- ALPHA POLYMERASE INVOLVEMENT IN EXCISION REPAIR OF DAMAGE INDUCED BY SOLAR RADIATION AT DEFINED WAVELENGTHS IN HUMAN FIBROBLASTSPhotochemistry and Photobiology, 1984
- LETHAL ACTION OF ULTRAVIOLET AND VISIBLE (BLUE-VIOLET) RADIATIONS AT DEFINED WAVELENGTHS ON HUMAN LYMPHOBLASTOID CELLS: ACTION SPECTRA AND INTERACTION SITESPhotochemistry and Photobiology, 1984
- ACTION SPECTRA FOR INACTIVATION OF NORMAL and XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM HUMAN SKIN FIBROBLASTS BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATIONSPhotochemistry and Photobiology, 1983
- LETHALITY AND THE INDUCTION AND REPAIR OF DNA DAMAGE IN FAR, MID OR NEAR UV‐IRRADIATED HUMAN FIBROBLASTS: COMPARISON OF EFFECTS IN NORMAL, XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM AND BLOOM'S SYNDROME CELLSPhotochemistry and Photobiology, 1982
- ERYTHEMA AND MELANOGENESIS ACTION SPECTRA OF NORMAL HUMAN SKIN *Photochemistry and Photobiology, 1982
- OXYGEN‐DEPENDENCE OF NEAR UV (365 NM) LETHALITY AND THE INTERACTION OF NEAR UV AND X‐RAYS IN TWO MAMMALIAN CELL LINESPhotochemistry and Photobiology, 1976