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A study of Q-switched Nd:YAG laser irradiation and paracrine function in human skin cells
Andrew Burd1, Ningwen Zhu, Vincent K M Poon
1Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong. andrewburd@surgery.cuhk.edu.hk
Background And Objectives:
This preliminary laboratory-based study looks at the paracrine release from human skin cells subject to sublethal Q-switched Nd:YAG 532 nm laser irradiation.
Study Design/Materials And Methods:
Human dermal fibroblast and keratinocyte cultures were exposed to sublethal energy using the Nd:YAG 532 nm laser. Altered gene expression was then screened using RT-PCR for a range of paracrine factors known to affect melanogenesis, basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), stem cell factor (SCF), melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH), endothelin-1 (ET-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to confirm protein production. Conditioned medium was used to assess altered melanogenesis in a melanoma cell line.
Results:
Fibroblasts exposed to sublethal radiation showed upregulation of b-FGF, HGF and SCF. This contrasts with keratinocytes which showed upregulation of IL-6. Elevated protein levels of b-FGF and SCF were confirmed by ELISA assay. Conditioned fibroblast medium was shown to stimulate melanogenesis in a melanoma cell line.
Conclusions:
This preliminary laboratory study reports, for the first time, specific gene upregulation using the Q-switched Nd:YAG 532 nm laser.
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