The role of low intensity laser irradiation on matrix proteins and gene expression in various stressed fibroblast cell models

D.Tech. (Biomedical Technology)Abstract: During wound healing, collagen synthesis is important for the remodelling phase where new extracellular matrix (ECM) is synthesised and maintained by a balance between matrix synthesis and degradation (Leask, 2015). This fine balance is regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which degrade the ECM, and their inhibitors, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase’s (TIMPs) (McCarty and Percival, 2013; Vitlianova et al., 2015). Though all wounds require a certain level of these enzymes for proper healing, high concentrations of MMPs is damaging and thus there is an increase in degradation and a decrease in construction (Martins et al., 2013; Sabino and Keller, 2015). An imbalance in MMPs may cause wounds to become chronic, a common problem faced in diabetes (American Diabetes Association, ADA, 2010). The effective use of low intensity laser irradiation (LILI), more recently termed photobiomodulation (PBM, Anders et al., 2015), as an alternative and complementary treatment for diabetic ulcers is evident (Chung et al., 2010; Peplow et al., 2011a; Peplow and Baxter, 2014). Literature demonstrates that PBM in the visible and near infrared (NIR) regions of the electromagnetic spectrum stimulates the production of collagen, and promotes wound healing and its cellular processes in order to maintain an equilibrium between the proteolytic activity/degradation and protein synthesis (Aparecida Da Silva et al., 2013; Houreld et al., 2014; Rodrigues et al., 2013). However, the effect of PBM in complications of stress still needs to be researched. The present study aimed to investigate if PBM alters the production of collagen, related matrix proteins MMP3, MMP9, and TIMP1 as well as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in various in vitro stressed skin fibroblast models using a fluence of 5 J/cm2 at wavelengths (λ) of 660 or 830 nm..