Mechanism of the Photocatalytic Inactivation of Lactobacillus casei Phage PL-1 by Titania Thin Film

The mechanism of the inactivation of Lactobacillus casei phage PL-1 suspended in a phosphate buffer by black-light (BL) -catalytic titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin film was studied. Generation of both superoxide anions (O₂ ⁻) and hydroxyl radicals ( · OH) was confirmed in the aqueous medium in which TiO₂ film was settled with BL irradiation under gentle shaking. With BL-irradiation alone without TiO₂ film, only O₂ ⁻ was generated to some extent. The genome DNA inside the phage particles was found to be fragmented by the treatment of PL-1 phages with BL-catalytic TiO₂ film. The phage inactivation by BL-catalytic TiO₂ film was inhibited by the addition of albumin in a concentration-dependent manner. BL-catalytic TiO₂ film was considered to cause primarily the damage to the capsid protein through the generation of active oxygen species such as · OH, followed by damage to the genome DNA inside the phage particles. Received: 11 August 2000 / Accepted: 30 August 2000