紫外线C（UVC）光长期以来一直被用作消毒剂，主要是通过发射254 nm的设备。根据照射剂量和时间，UV 254 nm可以引起红斑和光性角膜炎并有可能导致皮肤癌，因为它直接改变了氮代核酸碱基。滤光后的KrCl准分子激光器（主要发射222 nm）已经成为更安全的杀菌工具，并且甚至被提出用作消毒手术伤口的设备。所有证明222 nm安全性的研究都分析了细胞数量和存活率、红斑的产生、表皮增厚、环丙烷嘧啶二聚体（CPD）和嘧啶-（6-4）-嘧啶酮光产物（6-4PP）等基因损伤的形成以及致癌潜力。虽然核酸可以同样地吸收并被UV 254 nm和UV 222 nm修改，但与UV 254 nm相比，UV 222 nm更强烈地被蛋白质（尤其是芳香基侧链）吸收，引起光氧化和交联。在此，除了分析DNA损伤的形成外，我们还首次评估了完整厚度的体外重构人皮肤（RHS）在UV 222 nm照射下的蛋白质组和细胞通路的变化、反应性氧化物种的形成以及金属蛋白酶（MMP）水平和活性。我们还在HRS/J小鼠模型中进行了最长时间（40天）的UV 222 nm照射的体内研究，以评估间接照射的职业阈值限值（TLV）（25 mJ/cm²）的整体皮肤形态、细胞病理变化、CPD和6-4PP的形成以及MMP-9的活性。我们的研究表明，与UV 222 nm相比，与反应性氧化物种和炎症反应相关的过程更容易受到UV 254 nm的影响。我们使用TLV进行的慢性体内照射实验证实，UV 222 nm对皮肤造成的损伤较小。然而，与皮肤再生相关的通路的变化引起了对直接照射UV 222 nm的担忧。版权所有©2023 Elsevier B.V.。保留所有权利。

Ultraviolet C (UVC) light has long been used as a sterilizing agent, primarily through devices that emit at 254 nm. Depending on the dose and duration of exposure, UV 254 nm can cause erythema and photokeratitis and potentially cause skin cancer since it directly modifies nitrogenated nucleic acid bases. Filtered KrCl excimer lamps (emitting mainly at 222 nm) have emerged as safer germicidal tools and have even been proposed as devices to sterilize surgical wounds. All the studies that showed the safety of 222 nm analyzed cell number and viability, erythema generation, epidermal thickening, the formation of genetic lesions such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-(6-4)-pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4PPs) and cancer-inducing potential. Although nucleic acids can absorb and be modified by both UV 254 nm and UV 222 nm equally, compared to UV 254 nm, UV 222 nm is more intensely absorbed by proteins (especially aromatic side chains), causing photooxidation and cross-linking. Here, in addition to analyzing DNA lesion formation, for the first time, we evaluated changes in the proteome and cellular pathways, reactive oxygen species formation, and metalloproteinase (MMP) levels and activity in full-thickness in vitro reconstructed human skin (RHS) exposed to UV 222 nm. We also performed the longest (40 days) in vivo study of UV 222 nm exposure in the HRS/J mouse model at the occupational threshold limit value (TLV) for indirect exposure (25 mJ/cm2) and evaluated overall skin morphology, cellular pathological alterations, CPD and 6-4PP formation and MMP-9 activity. Our study showed that processes related to reactive oxygen species and inflammatory responses were more altered by UV 254 nm than by UV 222 nm. Our chronic in vivo exposure assay using the TLV confirmed that UV 222 nm causes minor damage to the skin. However, alterations in pathways related to skin regeneration raise concerns about direct exposure to UV 222 nm.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.