PONE-D-23-28770Fluence-dependent degradation of fibrillar type I collagen by 222 nm far-UVC radiationPLOS ONE

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: N/A

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: This is a well written article that provides much needed information on the safety of 222 nm light use. This is an area receiving a lot of attention right now and the information provided by the authors provides new insights into the safetyfor medical applications.

Reviewer #2: 1. How does this study on collagen differ from the previous studies on collagen and UVC exposure?

2. Have any controls set up to account for other variables that could impact the optical density affecting fibrillar collagen network disruption?

3. For clarity, the authors can tabulate or graphically depict the effects of exposure time, fluence, and collagen thickness.

4. It is recommended that the authors include digital photographs of their sample chambers.

5. The authors say that "Thicker samples act as a barrier for radiation attenuation and overall fibril damage", if that is the case, what should be the threshold thickness of collagen

6. Figure 2B of the study indicates no cross-linking in the SDS-PAGE gel after far-UVC exposures of 5000 mJ/cm2 or higher. Are there any additional techniques to better understand potential cross-linking?

7. "Figure 2B shows no evidence of cross-linking following far-UVC exposures of 5000 mJ/cm2" - Is fluence parameter the sole determining factor for cross-linking?

8. The results on collagen fibrils lack intermolecular cross-links in vivo. How might this affect the overall conclusions and their applicability in a real-world context for germicidal UVC exposure?

9. If far-UVC radiation has the capability to generate ozone. Then, is it possible for the presence of ozone to result in any interactive or synergistic effects when combined with far-UVC radiation on collagen or other tissue components?

10. The conclusion

(a) mentions "low fluences" and "high thicknesses," but it does not specify quantities or ranges. Quantitative data or a reference to the specifications will strengthen the conclusion.

(b) suggests germicidal far-UVC lamps for surgical-site infection prevention. Recommending specific additional studies, long-term studies, or scalability of such lamps in surgical settings would provide depth.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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Fluence-dependent degradation of fibrillar type I collagen by 222 nm far-UVC radiation

PONE-D-23-28770R1

Dear Dr. Forde,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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Kind regards,

Amitava Mukherjee, ME, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #2: N/A

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4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #2: Yes

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6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #2: The authors have addressed all the comments and incorporated the necessary details in the revised version. Hence, the manuscript can be accepted for publication

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #2: No

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