title: Retinal venous blood carbon monoxide response to bright light in male pigs: A preliminary study.
abstract: The physical mechanism by which light is absorbed in the eye and has antidepressant and energizing effects in Seasonal Affective Disorder and other forms of psychiatric major depression is of scientific interest. This study was designed to explore one specific aspect of a proposed humoral phototransduction mechanism, namely that carbon monoxide (CO) levels increase in retinal venous blood in response to bright light. Eleven mature male pigs approximately six months of age were kept for 7days in darkness and fasted for 12h prior to surgery. Following mild sedation, anesthesia was induced. Silastic catheters were inserted into the dorsal nasal vein through the angular vein of the eye to reach the ophthalmic sinus, from which venous blood outflowing from the eye area was collected. The animals were exposed to 5000lx of fluorescent-generated white light. CO levels in the blood were analyzed by gas chromatography before and after 80min of light exposure. At baseline, mean CO levels in the retinal venous blood were 0.43±0.05(SE)nmol/ml. After bright light, mean CO levels increased to 0.54±0.06nmol/ml (two-tailed t-test p<0.05). This study provides preliminary mammalian evidence that acute bright light exposure raises carbon monoxide levels in ophthalmic venous blood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland. Electronic address: doren@aya.yale.edu.
authors.forename: Dan A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Oren
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duda
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kozioł
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romerowicz-Misielak
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koziorowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sołek
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kulpa
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Reproduction of Animals, Institute of Applied Biotechnology and Basic Sciences, University of Rzeszów, Rejtana 16C, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koziorowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D008027:Light; D055537:Light Signal Transduction / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D009799:Ocular Physiological Phenomena; D012160:Retina; D016574:Seasonal Affective Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D002248:Carbon Monoxide
keywords: Carbon monoxide; Humoral phototransduction; Light; Ophthalmic blood; Pigs