The nonlinear effect of the composite influence of red and blue light on Escherichia coli viability

Abstract

A nonlinear dependence of E. coli cell inhibition was found during the simultaneous irradiation by the blue and red spectral regions at a power density of 100 mW/cm². This dependence can be explained by the cascade two-photon light absorption by DNA molecules with intermediate resonance at the cellular chromophores, which leads to excitation and subsequent DNA damage similar to the damage that is caused by exposure to UV quanta.