Interplay between epithelial and mesenchymal cells unveils essential proinflammatory and pro‐resolutive mediators modulated by photobiomodulation therapy at 660 nm

Abstract Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been widely used to promote tissue repair. However, PBMT's critical roles in the epithelial and mesenchymal tissues interactions are still barely known. Herein, we investigated light parameters on challenged keratinocytes (KC)—i.e., cultivated under oxidative stress—solely or associated with fibroblasts (FB) in a co‐culture system. Cells were treated with PBMT at the wavelength of 660 nm, at 20 mW and 0.71 W/cm 2 . Three different energy densities were primarily evaluated on KC: 1 (1.4 s), 5 (7 s), and 50 J/cm 2 (70 s). Next, KC and FB were co‐cultured and assessed at 5 J/cm 2 . This energy density was also tested in ex vivo murine skin samples. Our main data suggest that PBMT can increase cellular proliferation at low doses and cell migration in a biphasic mode (1 and 50 J/cm 2 ), both further confirmed by the epidermal growth factor receptor ligand—amphiregulin—upregulation. IL‐1RA mRNA—the IL‐1β (interleukin‐1β) receptor antagonist recognized to fasten wound repair—was upregulated in the co‐culture system. Upon PBMT, the ex vivo findings showed a progressive increase in the epidermal thickness, although presenting qualitatively less differentiated epithelium than the control group. In conclusion, PBMT effects are dependent on the cellular interactions with the surrounding microenvironment. Ultimately, PBMT is anti‐inflammatory and contributes to the expression of critical mediators of wound repair.