α-haemolysin in either the presence

or absence of human serum was exposed to 20 μM methylene blue and laser light with energy densities of 1.93 J/cm2, 3.86 J/cm2 or 9.65 J/cm2 and the haemolytic titration assay was performed as previously described. Experiments were performed twice in triplicate. Spectrophotometric assay for sphingomyelinase activity Sphingomyelinase (also known as β-haemolysin or β-toxin) from S. aureus was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (UK) in buffered aqueous glycerol containing 0.25 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.5. For experimental purposes, GSI-IX solubility dmso the enzyme was diluted to a final concentration of 0.5 Units/mL in 250 mM Tris-HCl Geneticin chemical structure buffer with 10 mM magnesium chloride, pH 7.4 at 37°C according to the manufacturer’s instructions, based on the spectrophotometric assay for sphingomyelinase described by Gatt [31]. 25 μL of sphingomyelinase was added to either 25 μL of 1, 5, 10 or 20 μM methylene blue (S+) or 25 μL PBS (S-) and irradiation of the enzyme suspension was carried out using an energy density of 1.93 J/cm2, with the appropriate controls (L-S-, L-S+, L+S-). Experiments were performed three times in duplicate. For laser light dose experiments, 20 μM methylene blue

and energy densities of 1.93 J/cm2, 3.86 J/cm2 or 9.65 J/cm2 were used and experiments were performed three times in triplicate Following irradiation/dark incubation, the spectrophotometric assay S63845 for sphingomyelinase activity (modified from [32]) was performed. 10 μL from each sample was removed and added to 190 μL of incubation buffer containing 0.02 mg Trinitrophenylaminolauroyl-Sphingomyelin out (TNPAL-Sphingomyelin;

Sigma-Aldrich, UK), 250 mM Tris-HCl, 10 mM MgCl2 and 1% Triton X-100 in 0.5 mL Eppendorf tubes and incubated in the dark at 37°C for 5 minutes, with shaking. 150 μL of Isopropanol:Heptane:H2SO4 (40:10:1) was added to stop the reaction and the tubes were immediately placed on ice. 100 μL of n-heptane (Sigma-Aldrich, UK) and 80 μL deionised water were then added and the samples were centrifuged for ten minutes at 1398 × g. Following centrifugation, the tubes were left to settle at room temperature for 5 minutes, after which 60 μL of the upper layer was removed and the optical density at 330 nm recorded using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. A blank sample containing 10 μL incubation buffer instead of sphingomyelinase was used as a reference. The effect of human serum on the photosensitisation of S. aureus sphingomyelinase Sphingomyelinase was diluted to a final concentration of 0.5 Units/mL in either 250 mM Tris-HCl buffer with 10 mM magnesium chloride, pH 7.4 at 37°C or the buffer with the addition of 12.5% human serum (Sigma Aldrich, UK) in order to model acute wound conditions and exposed to 20 μM methylene blue and laser light with energy densities of 1.93 J/cm2 or 9.65 J/cm2. The spectophotometric assay for sphingomyelinase activity was performed as previously described. Experiments were performed twice in triplicate.