Photobiomodulation (PBM) with low-intensity red to near infrared light elicits neuroprotection in various pre-clinical models and in some clinical contexts, yet the intracellular mechanisms triggered by PBM, and their temporal sequence of modulation, remain unclear. We aimed to address this uncertainty by mapping the temporal transcriptomic response to PBM. Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were treated with 670 nm PBM and RNA collected a various time points over 24 h. The transcriptome was screened by RNA microarray, and gene co-expression analysis by hierarchical clustering was coupled with bioinformatics analysis to reveal the molecular systems modulated by PBM and their expression patterns over the time course. The findings suggest that PBM induces distinct early phase (up to 8 h post-PBM) and late phase (24 h post-PBM) intracellular responses. The early intracellular response features enrichment of pathways relating to transcriptional regulation and cellular stress responses, while the late intracellular response demonstrates a physiological shift to enrichment of downstream pathways such as cell death and DNA damage. These findings provide support for the hypothesis that PBM acts as a transient stressful stimulus, activating endogenous stress response pathways that in turn enhance cellular resilience. Further, the study introduces a novel method for retaining the richness of the temporal component when analysing transcriptomic time course data sets.

具有低强度红光至近红外光的光生物调制 (PBM) 在各种临床前模型和某些临床环境中引发神经保护，但由 PBM 触发的细胞内机制及其调制的时间序列仍不清楚。我们旨在通过将时间转录组响应映射到 PBM 来解决这种不确定性。用 670 nm PBM 处理人 SH-SY5Y 神经母细胞瘤细胞，并在 24 小时内收集不同时间点的 RNA。通过 RNA 微阵列筛选转录组，通过层次聚类的基因共表达分析与生物信息学分析相结合，揭示了 PBM 调节的分子系统及其在时间过程中的表达模式。研究结果表明，PBM 诱导不同的早期（最多 PBM 后 8 小时）和晚期（PBM 后 24 小时）细胞内反应。早期细胞内反应以丰富与转录调节和细胞应激反应相关的途径为特征，而晚期细胞内反应则表现出向下游途径丰富的生理转变，例如细胞死亡和 DNA 损伤。这些发现为以下假设提供了支持，即 PBM 作为一种短暂的压力刺激，激活内源性压力反应途径，进而增强细胞弹性。此外，该研究介绍了一种在分析转录组时间过程数据集时保留时间成分丰富性的新方法。而晚期的细胞内反应则表明了向下游途径富集的生理转变，例如细胞死亡和 DNA 损伤。这些发现为以下假设提供了支持，即 PBM 作为一种短暂的压力刺激，激活内源性压力反应途径，进而增强细胞弹性。此外，该研究介绍了一种在分析转录组时间过程数据集时保留时间成分丰富性的新方法。而晚期的细胞内反应则表明了向下游途径富集的生理转变，例如细胞死亡和 DNA 损伤。这些发现为以下假设提供了支持，即 PBM 作为一种短暂的压力刺激，激活内源性压力反应途径，进而增强细胞弹性。此外，该研究介绍了一种在分析转录组时间过程数据集时保留时间成分丰富性的新方法。