Does Red Light Therapy stimulate Mitochondria? Not always...
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the complex effects of red and near-red light therapy on mitochondrial function. It dives into scientific studies that show varying impacts on cellular energy production and mitochondrial activity, including potential benefits and detriments depending on light intensity and duration. The video explains how these therapies interact with mitochondrial complexes, influencing ATP generation and overall cellular function. It emphasizes the need for deeper understanding beyond the oversimplified explanations often found on social media, providing a detailed look at the mechanisms involved and highlighting ongoing research and debates in the field.
Takeaways
- đŹ Red light and near-red light therapy can both improve and worsen mitochondrial function.
- đ§Ș The speaker analyzed five studies to determine if red light therapy affects mitochondria.
- đ§ The mitochondrion has two membranes, and the inner membrane is involved in energy production through the electron transport chain.
- ⥠The electron transport chain is composed of complexes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which generate ATP, the cell's energy currency.
- đ One study showed that red light therapy's effects on mitochondrial complexes varied, with inconsistent results across different durations and intensities.
- đĄ Another study found changes in mitochondrial protein concentrations and morphology in human samples after red light therapy.
- 𧏠Research on cow liver mitochondria indicated that near-red light therapy could reduce ATP production at low power but increase it at moderate power.
- đ Studies in mice with cognitive deficits demonstrated that near-red light therapy improved memory and thinking abilities, as well as ATP levels.
- 𧩠The mechanisms of how red light therapy works involve energizing the electron transport chain complexes, increasing their activity, and affecting oxygen interactions.
- đ Red light therapy also influences mitochondrial retrograde signaling, which affects gene expression and other cellular functions.
Q & A
What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of red light and near red light therapy on mitochondrial function?
-Red light and near red light therapy can both improve and worsen mitochondrial function. The therapy can increase cellular energy and ATP production but can also have varying effects depending on intensity and exposure duration.
How do mitochondria produce cellular energy?
-Mitochondria produce cellular energy by allowing positively charged protons to spin complex 5, also known as ATP synthase, which generates ATP molecules. This process involves maintaining a membrane potential through the electron transport chain.
What is the electron transport chain and what role does it play in mitochondria?
-The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes (complexes 1 to 5) in the inner mitochondrial membrane that exchange electrons to generate ATP, the main energy currency of the cell.
What were the findings of the study on photobiomodulation applied to muscle and brain cells of rats?
-The study found that the effects of photobiomodulation on mitochondrial complexes were inconsistent, with some complexes showing no effect or varied effects depending on light intensity and exposure duration.
What does the study involving near red light therapy on cow liver mitochondria reveal?
-The study showed that low power near red light therapy reduced ATP generation, moderate power normalized it, and higher power increased ATP production, but excessively high power decreased ATP synthesis again.
How did near red light therapy affect mice with cognitive deficits?
-Near red light therapy improved the memory and thinking ability of mice with cognitive deficits, as evidenced by their improved performance in finding a specific hole in a test.
What are some proposed mechanisms by which red light therapy affects mitochondrial function?
-Red light therapy is believed to increase the activity of the electron transport chain complexes, particularly complex 4, by energizing them and interacting with oxygen, thereby maintaining membrane potential and enhancing ATP production.
What is the significance of nitric oxide in the context of red light therapy?
-Nitric oxide can block the interaction of oxygen with complex 4. Red light therapy can dislodge nitric oxide molecules, allowing oxygen to interact with complex 4 and thereby enhancing ATP generation and membrane potential maintenance.
How does mitochondrial retrograde signaling work?
-Mitochondrial retrograde signaling involves changes in ATP concentration, calcium levels, and reactive oxygen species that affect other signaling molecules, which can enter the nucleus and alter gene expression.
Why is the explanation 'light do good mitochondria' considered insufficient?
-The explanation 'light do good mitochondria' is considered insufficient because it oversimplifies the complex mechanisms involved in how red light therapy affects mitochondrial function, lacking detailed scientific context and understanding.
Outlines
đŹ Red Light Therapy's Paradoxical Effects on Mitochondria
The video opens by introducing the intriguing paradox of red light and near red light therapy, which can both improve and worsen mitochondrial function. The narrator reviews five studies to explore these effects, calling on their father, a PhD in physics with expertise in lasers, for additional insight. The narrator criticizes superficial explanations on social media and stresses the need for a deeper understanding of mitochondrial function. Mitochondria, described as the cell's powerhouse, have an inner and outer membrane with the electron transport chain of five complexes playing a crucial role in ATP production. The first study highlighted examines the effect of photobiomodulation on muscle and brain cells in rats, showing varied impacts on mitochondrial complexes. Further evidence from human samples undergoing surgery also suggests changes in mitochondrial proteins, though the exact implications remain unclear.
đ§ In Vivo Evidence and Cognitive Improvements in Mice
The second paragraph shifts focus to in vivo studies, specifically on mice with neurocognitive disorders, to verify the effects of near infrared therapy. The research reveals that infrared therapy improves cognitive function and memory in these mice. Data from the experiments show significant improvements in the mice's ability to find a target hole in a maze, with corresponding increases in ATP levels. This supports the hypothesis that photobiomodulation positively impacts mitochondrial function and overall cognitive performance in living tissue.
đ Mechanisms of Red Light's Impact on Mitochondria
The third paragraph delves into the proposed mechanisms by which red light and near red light interact with mitochondrial function. The narrator explains how red light energizes the electron transport chain, increasing proton pumping and ATP generation. Complex 4, acting as a photoreceptor, plays a crucial role, with red light dislodging nitric oxide to allow more oxygen interaction, thus enhancing membrane potential and ATP synthesis. Additionally, mitochondrial retrograde signaling, influenced by changes in ATP and other molecules, affects gene expression. The narrator critiques simplistic social media explanations and offers a more nuanced understanding of these processes, inviting viewers to explore further in another video.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄRed Light Therapy
đĄMitochondria
đĄElectron Transport Chain
đĄATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)
đĄPhotobiomodulation
đĄComplex IV (Cytochrome c oxidase)
đĄNitric Oxide
đĄMitochondrial Membrane Potential
đĄIn Vivo
đĄRetrograde Signaling
Highlights
Red and near-red light therapy can both improve and worsen mitochondrial function, depending on conditions.
The analysis is based on five studies investigating the effects of red light therapy on mitochondria.
The speaker's father, a physicist with a PhD and expertise in lasers, contributes to the investigation.
Mitochondria are the 'powerhouses' of the cell, producing ATP through an electron transport chain.
Photobiomodulation, a term for light therapy, was applied to rat muscle and brain cells to measure mitochondrial complex activity.
The effects of light therapy on mitochondrial complexes are inconsistent, with some showing no effect and others showing a loss of effect over time.
Studies also show changes in mitochondrial morphology proteins after red light therapy in humans.
One study indicates that near-red light therapy might be detrimental to mitochondrial function at low power levels.
In vivo studies on mice show that near-infrared therapy can improve cognitive function and ATP levels in cognitively impaired mice.
Red light therapy is suggested to interact with the electron transport chain, potentially increasing ATP generation.
Complex 4 in mitochondria may act as a photoreceptor, influenced by red light therapy.
Red light can dislodge nitric oxide molecules from complex 4, allowing for better oxygen interaction and ATP production.
Red light therapy may affect mitochondrial retrograde signaling, influencing gene expression in the cell nucleus.
The speaker expresses dissatisfaction with oversimplified explanations of red light therapy's effects on mitochondria found on social media.
A detailed discussion on the mechanisms of how red light therapy could influence mitochondrial function is provided.
The transcript offers a critical analysis of existing studies, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of red light therapy's effects.
The speaker invites viewers to explore more about red light therapy in a dedicated video.
Transcripts
you know what's fascinating red light
and near red light therapy both improves
and worsens mitocondrial function but
you didn't expect that answer out of the
gate I'll explain why in a bit because I
analyzed five studies looking into if a
red light therapy actually affects
mitochondria or not I also called my dad
up for this investigation because this
topic required a bit of uh physics
understanding and he and his PhD and
physics and his dissertation was in
lasers I mean I've been extremely
dissatisfied by the explanations that
people have offered on social media as
to exactly how red light therapy affects
mitochondri all I ever hear is uh it
improves mitochondrial function or it
increases cellular energy but how
exactly anyway we'll we'll get into it
for us to understand anything on what
I'm about to show you it's important for
you to understand how mitochondria
function at at least a little here's a
mitochondria and we can see that it has
two membranes that separate the inside
of the mitochondrian from the inside of
the cell called the cytool the innermost
membrane the inner membrane is inundated
with different functional proteins and
one group of proteins is called the
electron transport chain made up of
depending on who you ask five complex
proteins they have sciency names given
to them at Birth by their mitochondria
parents like nadh ubiquinone oxido
reductase but let's go with their
simpler names complex one 2 3 four and
five continuing the simple theme these
first four complexes exchange something
called electrons in such a way that
allows complex five to generate cellular
energy known as ATP and yes this is why
my mondria are considered the PowerHouse
of the cell anyway that's a bit of
background which is important because
we're going to have to fill in some
details later and complexify it up in
one study researchers took a
photobiomodulation the fancy term for
light therapy to muscle cells and brain
cells of rats and measured the activity
of some of these mitochondrial complexes
now you can see why I introduced you to
them they didn't like you very much but
let's move on to the data
here we're looking at muscle cells
exposed to the light after 5 minutes and
after 60 Minutes on the left we have
complex one of the mitochondrian in the
middle is complex 2 and the right is
complex 4 the controls are cells not
exposed to the
photobiomodulation and the 10 30 and 60
are different intensities of light in
Jewels what you'll notice is that the
effects are a little all over the place
with no effect on complex 2 after 5
minutes and a loss of an effect in
complex one after 60 minutes and that
was there after 5 minutes I mean it's
pretty fascinating how all over the
place this all is these results were
mostly repeated in brain cells as well
now this might be a simple experiment
because we're applying the light
directly to the cells but what it also
removes is many confounding factors we
also don't need to rely on just that
study because there are others like this
one that took samples from people
undergoing surgery after red light
therapy and interestingly the
researchers also showed a number of
mitochondrial markers that were
different although they were more
focused on morphology proteins meaning
proteins that influence the size and
shape of
mitochondria I don't find this evidence
provided all that convincing of anything
except that these mitochondrial proteins
were changed in concentration from
exposure to red light therapy regardless
where we're building evidence that red
light therapy does affect mitochondria
this particular study was fascinating
because this is the one that showed near
red light therapy might be detrimental
to mitochondrial function as one example
here the researchers have isolated cow
liver mitochondrian and eradiated them
and then measured the amount of ATP
generated by complex 5 it's the fancy
name is ATP synthes as you'll see
relative to the control zero there the
therapy dramatically reduced
mitochondrial ATP generation when
applied at low power yet normalized at
moderate power and then increased at
higher power if you want a more granular
look across the Power Ranges here you go
again low power reduced ATP generation
higher power increase the production but
then even higher drops ATP synthesis
back down isn't that interesting I mean
it's just so conditional you know all
right I'll mention what that all means
in a bit but I also wanted to see if
this could be confirmed uh in Vivo
meaning in a living creature I actually
didn't watch humans for this but rather
a naive subject like mice the previous
research that we've gone over is in
tissue samples cells and isolated
mitochondria all very informative but
it's nice to check in living tissue as
well as potentially look at some
functional
outcomes the model used by the
researchers of this study doesn't matter
all too much but if you're curious they
used a neurocognitive disorder model of
mice so mice with cognitive deficits and
applied near infrared therapy to the
mice and measured functional outcomes
here we're looking at a measure of
memory and thinking ability the mice
were trained on a where a specific hole
was and then when tasked with finding
the hole again over multiple attempts
over days the time it took to find the
hole acted as the measure so the higher
the line the worse the result the black
line is the mice without cognitive
deficit the L tan line is the healthy
mice given the infrared therapy the blue
line is those mice with the cognitive
deficits and the Orange is the mice with
the cognitive deficits given near
infrared therapy first it's obious the
mice with cognitive deficiency struggled
no matter how many times they were
exposed however the Striking result was
the effect near infrared therapy had I
mean look at that Improvement as a
matter of fact here's the top down view
the Green Dot is where they started and
the Red Dot is the target hole I don't
even need to identify the conditions
because you can clearly see that the
cognitively impaired mice moved around a
lot trying to find it yet cherum ATP
levels were also recovered with infrared
therapy as seen in red compared to the
blue so across multiple studies these
photobiomodulation therapies seem to
improve mitochondrial function except
there's still a great mystery by the way
there's another study that I have a big
issue with but it does offer some really
interesting results on blood sugar
regulation in humans from a
photobiomodulation therapy I'll be
covering that one for the physic
insiders if you aren't already a member
then join using the link in the
description but back to the mystery this
mystery comes down to how does this work
it bugs me to just leave it so
open-ended and just say that it improves
mitochondrial function great how as I
mentioned I spoke to my dad who also has
his PhD but in physics and has done
extensive work with
lasers I described some of the proposed
mechanisms like those outlined in this
review and we discussed on a few
possibilities that make sense I hope
that you have your seat belt on in the
Magic School Bus because we're about to
discuss some heavy details on how
mitochondria function you already know
that mitochondria have that inner and
outer membrane and that the inner
membrane contains these protein
complexes that make up the electron
transport chain you should also know
that there's a gradient between the
exterior of the mitochondrian and the
interior of the mitochondria the
interior is much more negative in charge
so when your mitochondria produce
cellular energy producing those ATP
molecules the way that they do that is
by allowing positively charged protons
to spin complex 5 also known as the ATP
synthes in doing so those protons flow
in into the insection of the
mitochondrian and since they're
positively charged they reduce the
membrane potential in other words the
more positive exterior of the
mitochondrian and the interior become
more similar so they're both positive
this is problematic because if the two
sides are the same there's no drive for
the protons to continue to flow across
complex 5 and therefore you stop
producing at TP for cellular energy
think of it like a water mill that has
no more water turning the wheel no more
mitochondria Powerhouse of the cell
fortunately the other complexes of the
electron transport chain pump protons
back out of the internal section back
out thereby maintaining the membrane
potential more negative inside it's like
a futile cycle of pumping protons out
then allowing them back in through the
complex 5 but the end result is that you
keep producing ATP okay where does red
light and near red light come in there
are many mechanisms that have been
outlined some speculative however it
seems that red light interacts with the
complexes of the electron transport
chain and can energize them increasing
their activity so more proton pumping
more ATP generation and so on in
addition red light can interact with
complex 4 which is believed to act as a
photo receptor and can accept more
electrons that then allows more protons
to be pumped out of the mitochondrian
thereby increasing the membrane
potential remember greater negativity
inside also there is an interaction with
oxygen at complex 4 and interestingly
other molecules can block that
interaction of oxygen with complex four
like nitric oxide this nitric oxide is
bound to the Heen groups that make up
part of complex 4 and red light can
dislodge these nitric oxide molecules
allowing oxygen to interact a new this
further AIDS in the maintenance of the
membrane potential and the generation of
ATP it's also believed that red light
therapy and the like can affect
mitochondrial retrograde signaling since
that's just so obvious I just won't even
bother explaining it right I kid of
course it's basically that because there
are these changes in ATP concentration
as well as other molecules like calcium
reactive oxygen species and so on this
has a trickle down effect on other
signaling molecules that could enter the
nucleus of the cell where genes are
housed and change the gene expression
there's a lot more to it than that but
at least this offers some explanation
Beyond uh light do good mitochondria
which is what I feel social media
devolves to and we just accept it a
sufficient explanation well not here and
if you're interested in more on my work
on red light therapy just hop on over to
this video of mine it shines a light on
the topic good one
[Music]
Nick yeah
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