Effects of Photodynamic Therapy Using Yellow LED-light with Concomitant Hypocrellin B on Apoptotic Signaling in Keloid Fibroblasts

Yongqing Hu^1*, Chunmin Zhang^1*, Shengli Li², Ya Jiao³, Tonggang Qi⁴, Guo Wei¹, Gangwen Han^1,5✉

1. Department of Dermatology, the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250033, Shandong, China.
2. Department of Hematology, the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250033, Shandong, China.
3. Department of Plastic Surgery, the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250033, Shandong, China.
4. Central Research Laboratory, the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250033, Shandong, China.
5. Department of Dermatology, Peking University International Hospital, Beijing 102206, China.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY-NC) License. See http://ivyspring.com/terms for full terms and conditions.

Citation:
Hu Y, Zhang C, Li S, Jiao Y, Qi T, Wei G, Han G. Effects of Photodynamic Therapy Using Yellow LED-light with Concomitant Hypocrellin B on Apoptotic Signaling in Keloid Fibroblasts. Int J Biol Sci 2017; 13(3):319-326. doi:10.7150/ijbs.17920. Available from https://www.ijbs.com/v13p0319.htm

Abstract

Keloid is a common and refractory disease characterized by abnormal fibroblast proliferation and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components. Hypocrellin B (HB) is a natural perylene quinone photosensitizer. In this experiment, we studied the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using yellow light from light-emitting diode (LED) combined with HB on keloid fibroblasts (KFB) in vitro. Our results showed that HB-LED PDT treatment induced significant KFB apoptosis and decreased KFB cell viability. HB-LED PDT treatment lead to significant BAX upregulation and BCL-2 downregulation in KFB cells, which led to elevation of intracellular free Ca²⁺ and activation of caspase-3. Our data provides preliminary evidence for the potential of HB-LED PDT as a therapeutic strategy for keloid.

Keywords: keloid fibroblasts, Hypocrellin B, photodynamic therapy, apoptosis