Melanie Monaco, “Mitochondrial Aging”
Mentor: Elizabeth Liedhegner
Poster #104

Age-related metabolic dysfunction is a commonly observed feature of metabolic disturbances indicating a disruption in mitochondrial function and redox homeostasis. Photobiomodulation (PBM) employs far-red and near-infrared light to promote healing, alleviate pain, and mitigate inflammation. Mechanistically, PBM activates cytochrome c oxidase, a pivotal chromophore crucial for mitochondrial respiration. This treatment leads to various downstream effects such as increased ATP production, oxidative stress modulation, and transcriptional adjustments enhancing cell survival, proliferation, migration, and protein synthesis. Notably, in female mice, 670nm light has shown promise in ameliorating age-related changes in the retina, including enhanced ATP production, and reduced oxidative stress, ultimately improving retinal function. Our study aimed to investigate whether a brief regimen of light treatment could enhance the metabolic profile of aging in C57/BL mice compared to untreated aged mice (sham). We tested this hypothesis by subjecting 11-month-old female mice to 670nm light at 4.5J/cm2 (25mW/cm2 for 180 sec), administered five times per week for four weeks. Control mice underwent similar handling procedures but were not exposed to light treatment. Following the four-week intervention, retinal function was assessed via full-flash scotopic electroretinogram recordings. Our findings show improved electroretinogram profiles in mice receiving PBM compared to sham. Additionally, we will assess RNA levels of genes associated with aging and mitochondrial health, including cytochrome c oxidase (CoxIV), carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1b (Cpt1b), uncoupling protein 3 (Ucp3), transcription factor A (Tfam), and mitofusin 2 (mfn2). We plan to assess these in liver, heart, brain, retinal and skeletal muscle tissues. RNA from each tissue isolated via Trizol extraction and qPCR will be performed. This project focuses on optimization of qPCR conditions and analysis of brain and retinal tissues from PBM- and sham-treated mice. The expression of the eight genes from the brain and retina tissue types to determine the effectiveness of 670nm light treatment. We anticipate that in aged animals, expression levels of these targets will be higher in those subjected to 670nm light treatment compared to sham controls, highlighting the potential role of light therapy in promoting metabolic health.