Green light emitting diodes accelerate wound healing: Characterization of the effect and its molecular basis in vitro and in vivo

Because light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are low-coherent, quasimonochromatic, and nonthermal, they are an alternative for low level laser therapy, and have photobiostimulative effects on tissue repair. However, the molecular mechanism(s) are unclear, and potential effects of blue and/or green LEDs on wound healing are still unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of red (638 nm), blue (456 nm), and green (518 nm) LEDs on wound healing. In an in vivo study, wound sizes in the skin of ob/ob mice were significantly decreased on day 7 following exposure to green LEDs, and complete reepithelialization was accelerated by red and green LEDs compared with the control mice. To better understand the molecular mechanism(s) involved, we investigated the effects of LEDs on human fibroblasts in vitro by measuring mRNA and protein levels of cytokines secreted by fibroblasts during the process of wound healing and on the migration of HaCat keratinocytes. The results suggest that some cytokines are significantly increased by exposure to LEDs, especially leptin, IL-8, and VEGF, but only by green LEDs. The migration of HaCat keratinocytes was significantly promoted by red or green LEDs. In conclusion, we demonstrate that green LEDs promote wound healing by inducing migratory and proliferative mediators, which suggests that not only red LEDs but also green LEDs can be a new powerful therapeutic strategy for wound healing.