更好的皮肤、更快的伤口愈合以及减少视力丧失正成为可能 |5分钟阅读 溃烂的口腔溃疡是癌症放疗和化疗的诸多可能副作用之一。这些溃疡使患者难以进食，加重了他们的痛苦。有些患者必须通过鼻饲管进食。然而，一种治疗这些溃疡的新方法可能会带来更光明的前景：将调谐到光谱红端的发光二极管（LED）放入患者口中，可在超过一半的病例中改善症状。
Better skin, faster wound-healing and reduced vision-loss are on the cards |5 min read Oozing mouth ulcers are one of the many possible side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer. The ulcers make it hard for patients to eat, worsening their suffering. Some must be fed by tube. A new way of treating these ulcers could brighten the future, however: light-emitting diodes (LEDs) tuned to the red end of the spectrum and placed into a patient’s mouth improve symptoms in more than half of cases.
更快的伤口愈合只是光生物调节（PBM）的众多提议用途之一，这种疗法使用红光和红外线作为作用因子。眼科医生和皮肤科医生一直在使用红光来分别治疗与年龄相关的眼睛和皮肤衰退。但PBM也显示出在治疗创伤性脑损伤、阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病方面的前景；甚至在焦虑、抑郁、注意力缺陷和多动以及创伤后应激障碍等精神障碍的治疗中也显示出希望。
Faster wound-healing is just one of the proposed uses of photobiomodulation (PBM), as therapies that use red and infrared light as the agent are known. Ophthalmologists and dermatologists have been using red light for some time to treat age-related decline in eyes and skin respectively. But PBM is also showing promise in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries; Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases; and even psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, attention-deficit and hyperactivity, and post-traumatic stress.
红光和红外线的长波长赋予了这些光谱部分组织穿透力。这使得这种光能够到达并被细胞色素c氧化酶分子吸收，这种蛋白质存在于称为线粒体的结构中，而线粒体是细胞的能量工厂。该蛋白质有助于将葡萄糖的能量转化为一种称为ATP的分子，而ATP为细胞的大部分生化过程提供动力。
The long wavelengths of red and infrared light give these parts of the spectrum tissue-penetrating power. That permits such light to reach and be absorbed by molecules of cytochrome c oxidase, a protein found in structures called mitochondria that are a cell’s power packs. The protein helps turn the energy from glucose into a molecule called ATP, which powers much of a cell’s biochemistry.
红光能激活被一氧化氮（一种所谓的活性氧物种，ROS）关闭的细胞色素c氧化酶分子。活性细胞色素c氧化酶数量的增加提升了ATP的产生，为诸如细胞修复等功能提供了更多燃料。同时，细胞中抗氧化酶的水平也在增加，这些酶能中和多种其他ROS分子。这一点很重要，因为ROS分子可能损害许多其他生物分子。
Red light activates cytochrome c oxidase molecules that have been switched off by nitric oxide, a so-called reactive oxygen species (ROS). The increased number of active cytochrome c oxidases boosts ATP production, providing more fuel for functions such as cellular repair. Simultaneously, the cell sees an increase in antioxidant enzymes that neutralise a wide range of other ROS molecules. That is important because ROS molecules can damage many other biomolecules.
随着身体老化和线粒体磨损，更多的活性氧（ROS）分子会被意外产生。其中之一的影响是，这会抑制老年人的ATP生成。因此，光生物调节（PBM）可以让你“调节衰老机制”，伦敦大学学院眼科研究所的神经科学家格伦·杰弗里如此声称。
As bodies age and mitochondria wear out, more ROS molecules are produced accidentally. Among other things, this damps down ATP production in the old. As a result PBM allows you to “adjust the ageing mechanism”, claims Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology.
链条帮 2020年，杰弗里教授共同撰写了一项试点研究，该研究发表在《老年病学杂志》上，旨在对视网膜进行概念验证。杰弗里教授对眼睛的这一部分特别感兴趣，因为，正如他所解释的，ATP在人的一生中会下降约70%。在这项研究中，研究人员发现，40岁以上的志愿者其色彩对比视力平均提高了20%。然而，要将这些结果转化为临床治疗，仍需要进一步的研究。
Chain gang In 2020 Professor Jeffery co-wrote a pilot study, published in the Journals of Gerontology, which attempted a proof of concept applied to the retina. Professor Jeffery was interested in this part of the eye because, he explains, ATP declines by about 70% over the course of someone’s life. In the study, researchers found that volunteers over the age of 40 saw their colour-contrast vision improve by an average of 20%. Further investigations will be needed before such results can turn into treatments in the clinic, however.
在杰弗里教授参与的另一项研究中，该研究于2024年发表在《生物光子学杂志》上，暴露于红光下的人在饮用含糖饮料后，血糖峰值有所下降。一半的参与者接受了15分钟的红光照射，照射部位为背部（因此他们无法看到发生了什么）。另一半接受了假治疗，未接受任何光照。在接受红光照射的参与者中，血糖峰值比对照组低7.5%。尽管参与者并非糖尿病患者，但这些发现暗示了可能有助于调节糖尿病患者血糖水平的应用前景。
In another study to which Professor Jeffery contributed, and which was published in the Journal of Biophotonics in 2024, exposure to red light lowered blood-glucose spikes in people after they had consumed a sugary drink. Half of participants were exposed to 15 minutes of red light administered to their backs (so that they could not see what was going on). The others underwent a dummy treatment involving no light. In those exposed to red light, glucose peaks were 7.5% lower than in the control group. Though participants were not diabetic, these findings hint at applications which might help regulate blood-sugar levels in people who are.
还有希望认为红光可以帮助因事故导致脑部和脊髓损伤的人。在伯明翰大学，神经外科医生大卫·詹姆斯·戴维斯及其同事正在开发一种由嵌入硅胶中的LED制成的设备，他们希望将其植入患者体内。（他们已为该技术申请了专利。）戴维斯先生目前表示，除了在事故发生后通过手术移除部分颅骨或脊柱来减轻受损区域的压力之外，他对这类患者几乎无能为力。他将红光疗法视为一种有前景的新选择。他团队正在开发的设备尚未达到可用于人类患者的程度，但很快将在猪身上进行测试。
There is also hope that red light can help people with brain and spinal-cord injuries suffered in accidents. At the University of Birmingham, David James Davies, a neurosurgeon, and his colleagues are developing a device made of LEDs embedded in silicone that they hope to implant into patients. (They have applied for a patent on the technology.) At the moment, Mr Davies says, he can do little for such people other than relieve pressure on injured areas by removing parts of their skulls or spines during surgery after an accident. He sees red-light therapy as a promising new option. The device his team is developing is some way from use in human patients, but will soon be tested in pigs.
理论认为，直接向大脑或脊柱施加短剂量的红光可以减缓事故发生后几天内发生的细胞死亡波。这种光可以稳定神经细胞的代谢，并增强来自线粒体的信号，这些信号有助于基因促进生长和修复。
ory is that administering short doses of red light directly to the brain or spinal column could slow the wave of cell deaths that happens in the days after an accident. The light could stabilise the metabolisms of nerve cells and boost signals from their mitochondria that go on to help their genes promote growth and repair.
根据戴维斯先生的说法，在细胞培养和啮齿动物上的实验显示，细胞死亡减少了20%或更多。从实际角度来看，他说，这可能意味着需要轮椅和拄拐杖行走之间的区别。
According to Mr Davies, experiments on cell cultures and rodents saw reductions in cell deaths of 20% or more. In practical terms, he says, that could mean the difference between needing a wheelchair and walking with a cane.
脑部的其他损伤也可能对光生物调节（PBM）敏感。帕金森病和阿尔茨海默病都与这种治疗可能缓解的氧化应激有关。早期研究表明，它可能有助于对标准药物无效的人。
Other damage to the brain may also be susceptible to PBM. Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases are both linked to oxidative stress of the sort the treatment might relieve. Early-stage research suggests it could help those who do not respond to standard medications.
与此同时，研究发现红光有助于术后恢复，减轻疼痛并加速愈合。在物理治疗中，PBM可以减少炎症并促进血液循环，从而减轻肌腱、肌肉和关节损伤的疼痛。一切都很好吗？
Meanwhile, red light has been found to aid post-operative recovery, reducing pain and expediting healing. In physiotherapy, PBM decreases inflammation and boosts blood circulation, leading to less pain in tendon, muscle and joint injuries. Well and good?
对于杰弗里教授来说，红光具有有用的生物功能这一想法不应令人惊讶。人类是在阳光下进化的。然而，现代世界改变了人体暴露的光的种类——例如，窗户往往会阻挡红外线，而办公楼则由发出过量蓝光的LED灯照明。
For Professor Jeffery, the idea that red light has useful biological functions should be no surprise. Humans evolved under the light of the sun. The modern world, however, has changed the kinds of light to which the human body gets exposed—windows, for instance, tend to block infrared, while office buildings are illuminated by LEDs that produce a surfeit of blue.
杰弗里教授认为，这必然会对健康产生影响。然而，这些影响究竟有多大尚不清楚。而知识与可能性之间的这种差距，正如夜随日出一样，催生了一个“保健”产业，该产业推销从红光面罩和毯子，到红外线桑拿房和瑜伽工作室的各种产品，宣称具有皮肤年轻化、肌肉舒缓和改善睡眠的功效。
That is bound to have effects on health, Prof Jeffery reckons. How far those effects stretch, however, is unknown. And that gap between knowledge and possibility has led, as night follows day, to the emergence of a “wellness” industry that peddles everything from red-light masks and blankets, to infrared saunas and yoga studios, as skin-rejuvenators, muscle-soothers and sleep-enhancers.
其中一些可能有效。但杰弗里教授指出，问题有两方面。首先，商业利益通过诸如样本量小和对照组使用不足等可疑做法，使许多研究结果失真。其次，这些应用很少关注剂量。光源到受影响组织的距离、涉及的特定波长、设备运行的电压以及暴露时间长度都可能影响结果。
Some of these may work. The trouble, says Professor Jeffery, is twofold. First, commercial interests have coloured many research outcomes with questionable practices, including small sample sizes and insufficient use of control groups. Second, few of these applications pay attention to dosage. The distance from light source to affected tissue, the specific wavelengths involved, the voltage at which the equipment operates and the length of exposure can all influence the outcome.
特别是，更多的红光暴露并不一定意味着更好的结果。过度暴露可能会导致杰弗里教授所说的细胞代谢“交通堵塞”，进而导致ATP产生下降。对于健康人来说，他的建议是养一条狗。这样你每天至少会外出20分钟几次，从而获得所需的全部红光。
In particular, more exposure to red light does not necessarily mean a better result. Overexposure can create what Professor Jeffery calls a “traffic jam” in a cell’s metabolism, with a consequent fall in ATP production. For healthy people, his advice is to buy a dog. That way you will go outside for at least 20 minutes several times a day and get all the red light you need.
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