Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Scar Laser and Plastic Surgery Center, Yonsei Cancer Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Yonsei Med J. 2024 Feb;65(2):98-107. doi: 10.3349/ymj.2023.0125.
Photobiomodulation (PBM), encompassing low-energy laser treatment and light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy, has demonstrated positive impacts on skin rejuvenation and wound healing. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) present a promising advancement as wearable light sources for PBM. However, the biological and biochemical substantiation of their skin rejuvenation and wound healing effects remains limited. This study aimed to ascertain the safety and efficacy of OLEDs as a next-generation PBM modality through comprehensive in vitro and in vivo investigations.
Cell viability assays and human ex vivo skin analyses were performed after exposure to OLED and LED irradiation to examine their safety. Subsequent evaluations examined expression levels and wound healing effects in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and wound healing assays post-irradiation. Additionally, an in vivo study was conducted using a ultra violet (UV)-irradiated animal skin model to explore the impact of OLED exposure on dermal collagen density and wrinkles, employing skin replica and tissue staining techniques.
OLED irradiation had no significant morphological effects on human skin tissue, but caused a considerably higher expression of collagen than the control and LED-treated groups. Moreover, OLED irradiation reduced the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) more effectively than did LED on HDFs. OLED irradiation group in HDFs had significantly higher expression levels of growth factors compared to the control group, but similar to those in the LED irradiation group. In addition, OLED irradiation on photo-aged animal skin model resulted in increased collagen fiber density in the dermis while reducing ultra violet radiation-mediated skin wrinkles and roughness, as shown in the skin replica.
This study established comparable effectiveness between OLED and LED irradiation in upregulating collagen and growth factor expression levels while downregulating MMP levels in vitro. In the UV-irradiated animal skin model, OLED exposure post UV radiation correlated with reduced skin wrinkles and augmented dermal collagen density. Accelerated wound recovery and demonstrated safety further underscore OLEDs' potential as a future PBM modality alongside LEDs, offering promise in the realms of skin rejuvenation and wound healing.
光生物调节（PBM）包括低能量激光治疗和发光二极管（LED）光疗，已证明对皮肤年轻化和伤口愈合具有积极影响。有机发光二极管（OLED）作为 PBM 的可穿戴光源具有广阔的前景。然而，其皮肤年轻化和伤口愈合效果的生物学和生物化学基础仍然有限。本研究旨在通过全面的体外和体内研究，确定 OLED 作为下一代 PBM 模式的安全性和有效性。
在暴露于 OLED 和 LED 辐射后进行细胞活力测定和人体离体皮肤分析，以检查其安全性。随后，使用定量逆转录聚合酶链反应、酶联免疫吸附测定和辐射后伤口愈合测定，评估人真皮成纤维细胞（HDF）中的表达水平和伤口愈合效果。此外，还进行了一项体内研究，使用紫外线（UV）照射动物皮肤模型，通过皮肤复制和组织染色技术，探讨 OLED 暴露对真皮胶原密度和皱纹的影响。
OLED 照射对人体皮肤组织没有明显的形态影响，但与对照组和 LED 处理组相比，胶原蛋白的表达显著增加。此外，与 LED 相比，OLED 照射更有效地降低了 HDF 中基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）的表达水平。与对照组相比，OLED 照射组 HDF 中的生长因子表达水平显著升高，但与 LED 照射组相似。此外，在光老化动物皮肤模型中，OLED 照射导致真皮中胶原纤维密度增加，同时减少了 UV 辐射介导的皮肤皱纹和粗糙度，如皮肤复制所示。
本研究在体外证实了 OLED 和 LED 照射在上调胶原蛋白和生长因子表达水平以及下调 MMP 水平方面具有相当的效果。在 UV 照射的动物皮肤模型中，UV 照射后暴露于 OLED 与减少皮肤皱纹和增加真皮胶原密度相关。加速伤口愈合和证明的安全性进一步突显了 OLED 作为 LED 未来 PBM 模式的潜力，在皮肤年轻化和伤口愈合领域具有广阔的应用前景。
