Journal of Lasers in Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: UVB is a sub-spectrum of the UV spectrum which induces immunological responses in human skin. On the other hand, the protective effect of red light on human skin is highlighted in the literature. The detection of the key molecular point of this protective effect via protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis is the aim of this study.
Methods: RNA-seq data of normal human dermal fibroblast cells treated with UVB in the absence and presence of red light radiation were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and evaluated with the GEO2R program to find the significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The identified DEGs were assessed via directed protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, and the key targeted genes via red light exposure were determined and discussed.
Results: A total of 703 significant DEGs were assessed to find the key genes that differentiated the two compared groups of the fibroblast cells. IL6 as the top critical gene and FOS, DNAJA1, DNAJA4, EGR1, and PTGS2 as the critical individuals were highlighted as the targeted genes by red light radiation in normal human dermal fibroblast cells treated with UVB exposure.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that red light protects normal human dermal fibroblast cells against UVB-induced damage. This effect of red light is accompanied by downregulation of IL6 and attenuation of PTGS2 and FOS activity. Reduction of inflammation progression is the consequence of red light radiation.