Phototherapy in the animal models of systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis is a rare, chronic, autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. The pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis includes vasculopathy, progressive fibrosis and alterations in the immune system. Despite the current existing systemic treatment, the management of the disease with non-invasive methods is limited. In accordance with the physical properties of ultraviolet A1 (UVA1) and the optical features of the skin, the narrowband UVA1 would be effective and safe phototherapy for the dermal fibrosis. The special-purpose medical device “IMC-Light” has been constructed during the doctoral studies. The equipment consists of UVA1 light emitting diodes, which emit the ultraviolet rays with a peak wavelength of 365 ± 5 nm. Animal models are essential tools in investigating in-depth the search of new therapeutic modalities. The aim of the doctoral dissertation was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of narrowband UVA1 for the dermal fibrosis treatment using the bleomycin-induced systemic sclerosis model in DBA/2 mice. The results of the study have revealed that narrowband UVA1 phototherapy reduces the dermal thickness, stops the progression of dermal fibrosis, induces the regression of already existing fibrotic changes and does not cause an increased risk of carcinogenesis in the established, bleomycin-induced mouse model of scleroderma. In the near future, the efficacy of narrowband UVA1 phototherapy for patients with systemic sclerosis will be evaluated