1) Regarding Ubiquionon in the Retina: Here we show that Coenzyme Q levels in the eye can exceed that of  the antioxidants Vitamin E, and lutein and Zeaxanthin.  Coenzyme Q, synthesized in the body, prevents lipid per oxidation better than most other antioxidants and is involved in ATP synthesis.  We believe Coenzyme Q may play a role in the formation of macular degeneration.

2) The Light Catalyzed Reduction of Ubiquinone in Blood Serum: Here we show that light can be used to reduce Coenzyme Q to ubiquinol in blood serum.  This finding relates to our efforts of using light to prevent heart disease.

3) Green Porphyrin or Red Cone? Here we show that the rabbit eye can be made to respond (see) red light just as well as blue light, by the introduction of an accessory “visual pigment”.  We are trying to devise a way to see near-IR light.

Washington, Iyas; Zhou, Jilin; Jockusch, Steffen; Turro, Nicholas J.; Nakanishi, Koji; Sparrow Janet R.  Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 2007, 6, 775.

Lebedeva, Irina V.; Washington, Ilyas; Sarkar, Devanand; Clark, Jennifer A.; Fine, Robert L.; Dent, Paul; Curiel, David T., Turro, Nicholas J.; Fisher Paul B.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2007, 104 (9) 3484-3489.  

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