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Melanogenesis inhibition in mice using a low-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser: a pilot study

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Abstract

A low-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser, or laser toning, has yielded favorable outcomes in various benign pigmented disorders. However, the exact mechanism of action of laser toning has not been fully elucidated. We sought to determine the inhibitory effect of laser toning on melanogenesis and to assess how laser passes influence the outcomes. To produce perceptible pigmentation, nine HRM-2 melanin-possessing hairless mice were treated with ultraviolet (UV) B radiation on the dorsal skin. This was followed by zero, two, four, or six passes of laser toning twice in 2 weeks on each designated quadrant. The spectrophotometric values and pigmentation-related protein expressions were measured. Pigment changes were found in the mice skin using the Fontana-Masson stain for histopathological analysis. Four- and six-pass laser toning significantly improved the lightness compared to that in the unirradiated control (p < 0.002). The Fontana-Masson stain showed that melanin was considerably decreased in laser-irradiated skin. As the number of laser passes increased, the expression of tyrosinase decreased (p < 0.008). The following parameters also decreased in proportion to the number of laser passes: MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2, p-ERK, and p-Akt. In contrast, TGF-β increased in proportion to the number of laser passes. However, the changes in these six proteins were not statistically significant. Our study demonstrates that laser toning improves skin pigmentation with increased number of passes in a dose-dependent manner. This effect is mediated by tyrosinase inhibition.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following individuals for their help, without whose support this study would have never been completed: Yeon Hwa Yoo, M.D., whose task of drawing a figure was essential to this thesis; Han-Saem Kim, M.D., Ju-Yeon Choi, M.D., and Jae Yun Lim, M.D. for generously contributing their valuable time and effort to care for the experimental mice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Jae-Hui Nam, Joon Hong Min, Sunmin Yim & Won-Serk Kim

  2. Medical Research Institute, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Jae-Hui Nam, Joon Hong Min & Won-Serk Kim

  3. College of Pharmacy, Yonsei University, Incheon, South Korea

    Wang-Kyun Kim

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  1. Jae-Hui Nam
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Correspondence to Won-Serk Kim.

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This study was done without financial support.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving animals and human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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This article does not contain any studies with participants that should have informed consent.

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Jae-Hui Nam and Joon Hong Min contributed equally to this work.

Electronic supplementary material

Supplementary Fig. 1

Effects of laser toning on UVA- or UVB-induced pigmentation in human abdominal skin (n = 1). a The photographs indicate pigmentary changes following laser toning (left, before laser treatment; right, after completion of laser treatment). b Western blot results demonstrate altered expressions of MITF and tyrosinase in a dose-dependent manner in UVA-induced pigmentation. In contrast, there are ambiguous results with UVB-induced pigmentation (GIF 422 kb)

High resolution image (TIFF 1576 kb)

ESM 1

(GIF 293 kb)

High resolution image (TIFF 1631 kb)

Supplementary Table 1

Ultraviolet (UV) A and B irradiation and laser schedules in a human (n = 1) (DOCX 24 kb)

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Nam, JH., Min, J.H., Kim, WK. et al. Melanogenesis inhibition in mice using a low-fluence 1064-nm Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser: a pilot study. Lasers Med Sci 32, 1063–1069 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-017-2208-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-017-2208-8

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