PHOTO-BIO-MODULATION IN ORTHODONTICS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE PROLIFERATION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF KERATINOCYTES: AN IN VITRO STUDY

P. Caccianiga and G. Caccianiga

School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy

*Correspondence to:
Gianluigi Caccianiga, DDS
School of Medicine and Surgery,
University of Milano-Bicocca,
20900 Monza, Italy
e-mail: gianluigi.caccianiga@unimib.it

Received: 26 April, 2017 Accepted: 01 June, 2017

2038-4106 (2017) Copyright © by BIOLIFE This publication and/or article is for individual use only and may not be further reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction may result in financial and other penalties Disclosure: all authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

ABSTRACT

Gingival augmentation techniques proposed in the international literature do not exclude a surgical component, which determines consequent post-surgical discomfort and results are not always predictable. In recent years, the introduction of laser photobiomodulation has led to a less invasive approach, particularly in the treatment of periodontally compromised patients, limiting the surgical phase to seriously compromised cases, with regeneration techniques for the restoration of a correct periodontal tissue anatomy. The aim of this in vitro study is to establish the validity of laser photobiomodulation in order to develop the epithelial keratinized layer of the tissue by stimulating fibroblasts-keratinocytes organotypic cultures and fibroblasts and keratinocytes mono-cultures. We created two groups (test and control), each one composed of 3 fibroblast cultures, 3 keratinocyte cultures and 3 organotypic cultures. We performed laser irradiation of test group at 50 J/cm2 of fluency with one application every 48 h for a total of 5 applications. 48 hours after the last laser application, we investigated the presence and amount of keratins 5 and 8 with citofluorymetric and western blotting analyses. Analyses showed an increase in keratin synthesis in test group cultures, showing a remarkable increase in production of keratin 8 in co-cultures test. Laser photobiomodulation can considerably enhance keratin synthesis when applied with high energy doses and repeated applications to keratinocytes-fibroblasts co-cultures.

KEYWORDS: photobiomodulation, low level laser irradiation, biostimulation, keratinization, keratinocytes, fibroblasts