Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of laser irradiation on the growth factors and cell apoptosis of in vitro cultured infant hemangioma endothelial cells.
Main methods: Endothelial cells of infant hemangioma were cultured in vitro and irradiated using a variable pulse width 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser and intense pulsed light (IPL), the expression of VEGF, VEGFR-2, bFGF and their mRNAs before and after irradiation were measured by ELISA, western blot, RT-PCR and flow cytometry, and changes in the apoptotic rate of endothelial cells in hemangioma were monitored.
Key findings: The mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF, VEGFR-2, bFGF in hemangioma endothelial cells were inhibited by both Nd:YAG laser and ILP compared to the control cells. The apoptotic rates of hemangioma endothelial cells were also decreased after both laser irradiation treatments in comparison to the blank group. The differences were statistically significant.
Significance: Laser irradiation treats hemangioma not only through a selective photothermal mechanism, but also through cytokine signaling pathways.
Keywords: Cell apoptosis; Growth factors; In vitro; Infant hemangioma; Laser.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.