Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP
Effect is enhanced by (dependant on?) chlorophyll substances accumulated in tissues from diet
Here we show that mammalian mitochondria can also capture light and synthesize ATP when mixed with a light-capturing metabolite of chlorophyll. The same metabolite fed to the worm Caenorhabditis elegans leads to increase in ATP synthesis upon light exposure, along with an increase in life span.
We further demonstrate the same potential to convert light into energy exists in mammals, as chlorophyll metabolites accumulate in mice, rats and swine when fed a chlorophyll-rich diet. Results suggest chlorophyll type molecules modulate mitochondrial ATP by catalyzing the reduction of coenzyme Q, a slow step in mitochondrial ATP synthesis. We propose that through consumption of plant chlorophyll pigments, animals, too, are able to derive energy directly from sunlight.
Our data demonstrate that dietary metabolites of chlorophyll can be distributed throughout the body where photon absorption may lead to an increase in ATP as demonstrated for the chlorin P-a. Indeed, P-a could have been transformed into other metabolites, as most known metabolites of chlorophyll can be formed from P-a by reactions that normally take place in animal cells.
To examine whether dietary chlorophyll and/or its metabolites were present in animal tissue after oral consumption, we fed mice a chlorophyll-rich diet. Brain (Fig. 4A) and fat (Fig. 4C) extracts from these mice exhibited red fluorescence at 675 nm when excited with a 410-nm light [brain: treated, 15.4±6.7 (n = 6); control: 4.2±2.6 (n = 6; means ± s.d.); P<0.01]. This red fluorescence diminished, as measured by the area under the 675 nm peak, when animals were given a chlorophyll-free diet for 2 weeks.
The chlorophyll-rich diet (Harlan Teklad, Indianapolis, IN) contained 15% by weight spirulina ,,, which is equivalent to ∼0.15% by weight chlorophyll-a
[effect is not linear with dose (certain amount needed for function to be enabled, but too much starts to have lower impact)]
There relationship between the increase in ATP and the amount of added P-a was not linear (supplementary material Fig. S2A,B). ATP stimulation by light in the presence of P-a better fitted a binary on/off, rather than a graded response to P-a. Increasing concentrations of P-a elicited the same increase in ATP, after light exposure. However, with too much added P-a, ATP levels began to fall. This on/off response was also consistent with the observed cooperative binding mode of P-a with mitochondria fragments, suggesting that the threshold response may be regulated by mitochondrial binding of P-a. If chlorophyll metabolites are found to be involved in energy homeostasis, a better understanding of their pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics will be needed.
Organization of chlorophyll metabolites into supramolecular structures, similar to chlorophyll antenna systems in photosynthetic organisms, would increase the effective cross-sectional area of photon absorption and, thus, photon catch. Indeed, our observed positively cooperative binding with mitochondrial fragments is evidence for such organization. Even so, to approach the rate of ATP synthesis powered by NADH or FADH2, sufficient P-a pigment would have to be added to turn animals green. Nevertheless, in model systems, we measure an increase in ATP upon light absorption and changes in fundamental biology (extention in life span). Regardless of the mechanism by which ATP is increased or the measured amount of the increase, perhaps the larger question is: how much of an increase in ATP is enough to make a biological difference?
In animals, treatment with P-a and light both increased ATP and median life span, suggesting that light in the presence of these light absorbing dietary metabolites can significantly affect fundamental biological processes. We previously observed that chlorophyll metabolites enabled photonic energy capture to enhance vision using a mouse model
here, we were able to increase ATP during adulthood at a time when ATP stores reportedly begin to decline. For example, by day 4 of adulthood, the level of ATP and oxygen consumption can drop by as much as 50% compared to day zero (Braeckman et al., 1999; Braeckman et al., 2002). This difference in timing might account for why we observed an increase in life span in response to an increase in ATP.
Indeed, by producing ubiquinol, P-a might have increased life span by an alternative method by protecting against long-term oxidative damage, which is also a mechanism that has been shown to increase C.elegans life span
The demonstration that: (1) light-sensitive chlorophyll-type molecules are sequestered into animal tissues; (2) in the presence of the chlorophyll metabolite P-a, there is an increase in ATP in isolated animal mitochondria, tissue homogenates and in C. elegans, upon exposure to light of wavelengths absorbed by P-a; and (3) in the presence of P-a, light alters fundamental biology resulting in up to a 17% extension of life span in C. elegans suggests that, similarly to plants and photosynthetic organisms, animals also possess metabolic pathways to derive energy directly from sunlight. Additional studies should confirm these conclusions.
I think Chlorophyll A is the best type for health, cell protection etc generally.
best source maybe 1/2 a cup - 1 cup green peas
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...-T1-Fresh-Peas-T2-Blanching-T3_fig1_256463360 ~ 20mg chlorophyll per 100g
(its a vegetable very low in phytoestrogens https://www.researchgate.net/public..._UK_based_on_LC-MS_and_13C-labelled_standards with decent chlorophyll a content. (most things are in the low microgram amount for phytoestrogens. but some start approaching milligram level which is physiological dose for estrogen and a few like soya & flax are extremely high. soya flour very high too which is common in "wheat" bread products
wheat has basically none without the added soya https://www.researchgate.net/public...als_and_Cereal-Based_Foods_Consumed_in_the_UK
)
and antinutrients of green peas are lower end too i think? low phytates at least Phytate, iron, zinc, and calcium content of common Bolivian foods and their estimated mineral bioavailability)
(frying in butter maybe best instead of boiling which drains some of the substances)
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