Background data: Light emitting diode (LED) therapy has been proposed as an option for the treatment of many skin inflammatory processes. Dendritic cells (DCs) are important cells of skin that participate in the initiation and activation of skin immunity. The modulation of these cells by LED could explain much of its effects.
Objective: Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of LED at 460 ± 20 nm on cytokine production and the expression of surface markers on DCs.
Materials and methods: DCs were obtained from mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). The LED was applied giving a fluence of 3.3, 8.2, or 16.5 J/cm2 on BMDCs or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-matured BMDCs. The production of cytokine was analyzed by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and the expression of DC co- and stimulatory was analyzed markers by cytometry.
Results: LED increases IL-12p40 and IL-6 production in both nonstimulated BMDCs and LPS-matured BMDCs. The expression of MHC-II molecule was inhibited and the expression of the CD86 molecule was increased in nonstimulated BMDCs but not in LPS-matured BMDCs. The production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) and the expression of CD40 were not altered.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate that LED stimulated cytokine production in BMDCs, suggesting a proinflammatory role in the tested conditions and maybe it can increase DC maturation.
Keywords: immunomodulation; light-emitting diode; photobiomodulation.