Low-level red plus near infrared lights combination induces expressions of collagen and elastin in human skin in vitro.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro and ex vivo bench research without human in vivo clinical data
PubMed 33594706 · doi:10.1111/ics.12698
What was done
Human dermal fibroblasts and ex vivo human skin explants were irradiated daily with a combination of red (640 nm) and near-infrared (830 nm) LED light at 0.5 mW/cm² for 10 minutes (total fluence 0.3 J/cm²). Researchers evaluated gene expression (LOXL1, ELN, COL1A1, COL3A1) via qPCR, protein synthesis (procollagen type I, elastin) via ELISA or histology, collagen and elastic fiber crosslinks via fluorescence measurement, and cellular ATP production via an ATP assay.
What was found
Low-level red plus near-infrared irradiation was reported to significantly increase LOXL1, ELN, COL1A1, and COL3A1 gene expression, procollagen type I and elastin protein synthesis, and ATP production in cultured dermal fibroblasts. In skin explants, it similarly induced significant increases in the same gene expressions, type III collagen, and elastic fiber formation and crosslinks. No specific numerical values, fold-changes, or p-values are provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
The findings demonstrate that low-fluence red and near-infrared light can stimulate extracellular matrix synthesis and ATP generation in laboratory skin models, offering mechanistic support for low-energy light therapy in photo-aging.
Limits
The study is restricted to in vitro cell cultures and ex vivo skin tissue, with no in vivo human clinical evaluation. The abstract does not report the number of biological replicates or donors (n), nor does it provide quantitative effect sizes.
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