[Reactivation of superoxide dismutase by the helium-neon laser irradiation]

When incubating SOD for two hours in the buffer with pH 6.0 practically complete loss of the activity of enzyme was observed at insignificant changes of the absorption spectra in the region of 450 and 680 nm. Irradiation of SOD solution with helium-neon laser resulted in the dose-dependent reduction of spectral and enzymic properties. Similar effect of the red light was also observed when SOD was inactivated with hydrogen peroxide: laser irradiation brought about the reduction of initial absorption spectrum of the enzyme. One can believe that the therapeutic effect of helium-neon laser radiation is conditioned, at least partially, by photochemical reactivation of SOD inactivated under pathological conditions (inflammation, hypoxia) in the tissues.