Effects of the 532-nm and 1,064-nm Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers on collagen turnover of cultured human skin fibroblasts: a comparative study

Cultured human skin fibroblasts were irradiated twice successively with the 1.5 J/cm² of 532-nm and 1,064-nm lasers, respectively. The mRNA of procollagen, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) were analyzed at 24 and 48 h post-irradiation by using RT-PCR. Both lasers significantly increased the expression of type I and III procollagen, TIMP1, and TIMP2, but decreased MMP1 and MMP2 expression. The 1,064-nm laser initiated TGF-β expression while the 532-nm laser elicited the increase of Hsp70 and IL-6. The increase/decrease rates of procollagen, TIMPs and MMPs for the 1,064-nm laser were higher than that of the 532-nm laser. Thus, both lasers effectively accelerated collagen synthesis and inhibited collagen degradation. Collagen synthesis induced by the 1,064-nm laser might be partly due to the upregulation of TGF-β expression, while the increase of Hsp70 and IL-6 might be partly responsible for collagen synthesis stimulated by the 532-nm laser. With the parameters used in this study, the 1,064-nm infrared laser is more effective in promoting the beneficial molecular activities than the 532-nm visible laser.