Affiliation:
1. Department of Dermatology, Sun Yat‐sen Memorial Hospital Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
2. Department of Chemical Pathology The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong
3. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetic and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat‐sen Memorial Hospital Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
Abstract
AbstractObjectiveTo assess the efficiency and the mechanism of fractional erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser for the treatment of morphea in mouse model.BackgroundMorphea is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by excessive collagen deposition in skin. Fractional Er:YAG laser treatment is a promising treatment to improve morphea, despite limited studies about the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism.MethodsThe mouse model of morphea was established by subcutaneously injecting with bleomycin (BLM). A total of 24 mice received fractional Er:YAG laser treatment once a week for 4 weeks. Objective measurement employed was ultrasonic imaging to measure dermal thickness. Subjective measures included scoring according to the adjusted Localized morphea Cutaneous Assessment Tool (LoSCAT); hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining to evaluate the histological grade of fibrosis; and quantitative morphometric studies to determine the expression of transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) and matrix metalloproteinase‐1 (MMP1) by immunohistochemistry.ResultsIn this self‐controlled study, fractional Er:YAG laser treatment significantly ameliorate the severity of morphea, including lower clinical score (p < 0.01), decreased dermal thickness (p < 0.001), declined histological grade of fibrosis (p < 0.001), increased MMP1 (p < 0.001), and reduced TGF‐β1 (p < 0.01) expression.ConclusionsWe found that fractional Er:YAG laser treatment of morphea has good clinical, ultrasonic, and histopathologic efficacy, which may be a promising treatment in the future.