Abraham Haim
University of Haifa, Israel
Title: Artificial light at night and melatonin production - possible impact on human health due to epigenetically modifications
Biography
Biography: Abraham Haim
Abstract
Disappearance of dark nights is the most dramatic change that took place on our plant throughout the 20th century emerging from electrical illumination. The out-come is noted in great changes taking place in human lifestyle as activity extending to 24h/day, seven days a week. No doubt this has a positive effect on our economy and social activity but, what about the environment and our health? We have been studying the effects of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) on the circadian system, production and secretion of pineal hormone melatonin (MLT), known as a "jack of all traits" among others as an antioxidant, anti-ageing and anti-oncogenic agent. MLT-suppression is wavelength depended where short wavelength illumination (SWI) is effective in MLT-suppression and among SWI natural light emitting diode (LED) has the greatest MLT-suppression. Epigenetically modifications as global DNA Methylation (GDM) are an expression to environmental changes. Results of studies carried out in our center revealed that exposure to ALAN caused GDM-reduction in cells from different organs this hypo-methylation was emerged presumably from MLT-suppression. However, addition of MLT in drinking water during the dark-period reversed the process and GDM level increased. These results support the idea that hormones, in our case MLT, are important mediators between the environment and epigenetically modifications.