Objective: To explore the effect of intense pulsed laser (IPL) on anti-aging and its mechanism.
Methods: Rat skin was continuously irradiated ex vivo by IPL at certain wavelengths with different energy densities. The rats were irradiated twice with an interval of 2 weeks. We measured superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, hydroproline (Hyp) content, and the level of apoptosis-related gene B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) in the IPL treatment groups, and then compared with those in the model groups and the control group.
Results: SOD activity and Hyp content in the IPL treatment groups were higher than those in the model groups, and MDA content in the IPL treatment group was lower than that in the model group (P<0.05). IPL irradiation increased Bcl-2 protein content in rat skin cells, but had no effect on Bax protein expression.
Conclusion: IPL is effective to improve the appearance of aging skin. Its mechanism may relate to maintaining the balance of oxidation and anti-oxidation, restoring oxidase activity, and regulating the death of skin cells by increasing Bcl-2 expression.