The effects of ultraviolet supplementation to the artificial lighting on rats' bone metabolism, bone mineral density, and skin

Working and living under artificial lighting environment for a long duration do not allow sufficient sunlight exposure, resulting in an adverse effect on bone. Common artificial light source, white LED light, does not include ultraviolet irradiation that plays an important role in bone metabolism. Ultraviolet supplementation in artificial lighting environment can be used to simulate the effect of sunlight irradiation on bone metabolism. In this paper, we report the effects of long-term exposure of low-dose ultraviolet irradiation on the rats' bones and skin. We studied the changes in body weight, bone metabolism markers, bone mass content, bone mineral density, and skin of rats, under long-term exposure of low-dose ultraviolet irradiation. We found that the rats exposed to ultraviolet irradiation showed an increase in bone formation rate, decrease in bone resorption rate, and improvement in bone mass content and bone mineral density without adverse effects on skins. This paper provides an effective basis for future application of LED light to create a healthier, safer, and more comfortable indoor lighting environment.