Fractional erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser in the treatment of morphea mouse model.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficiency and the mechanism of fractional erbiumyttrium aluminum garnet (ErYAG) laser for the treatment of morphea in mouse model. BACKGROUND: Morphea is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by excessive collagen deposition in skin. Fractional ErYAG laser treatment is a promising treatment to improve morphea, despite limited studies about the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism. METHODS: The mouse model of morphea was established by subcutaneously injecting with bleomycin (BLM). A total of 24 mice received fractional ErYAG laser treatment once a week for 4 weeks. Objective measurement employed was ultrasonic imaging to measure dermal thickness. Subjective measures included scoring according to the adjusted Localized morphea Cutaneous Assessment Tool (LoSCAT); hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining to evaluate the histological grade of fibrosis; and quantitative morphometric studies to determine the expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1) by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In this self-controlled study, fractional ErYAG laser treatment significantly ameliorate the severity of morphea, including lower clinical score (p < 0.01), decreased dermal thickness (p < 0.001), declined histological grade of fibrosis (p < 0.001), increased MMP1 (p < 0.001), and reduced TGF-ß1 (p < 0.01) expression. CONCLUSIONS: We found that fractional ErYAG laser treatment of morphea has good clinical, ultrasonic, and histopathologic efficacy, which may be a promising treatment in the future.