Near-infrared-emitting nanoparticles activate collagen synthesis via TGF\u03b2 signaling

Han Young Yu,Goon-Tae Kim,Joung Kyu Park,Seunghun Jang,Ji Eun Lim,Myung Hyun Kang,Tae-Sik Park

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-70415-1

Han Young Yu, Goon-Tae Kim + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70415-1

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Abstract

Research efforts towards developing near-infrared (NIR) therapeutics to activate the proliferation of human keratinocytes and collagen synthesis in the skin microenvironment have been minimal, and the subject has not been fully explored. Herein, we describe the novel synthesis Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs) by using a sonochemical method and reveal the effects of NIR irradiation on the enhancement of the production of collagen through NIR-emitting Ag2S NPs. We also synthesized Li-doped Ag2S NPs that exhibited significantly increased emission intensity because of their enhanced absorption ability in the UV–NIR region. Both Ag2S and Li-doped Ag2S NPs activated the proliferation of HaCaT (human keratinocyte) and HDF (human dermal fibroblast) cells with no effect on cell morphology. While Ag2S NPs upregulated TIMP1 by only twofold in HaCaT cells and TGF-β1 by only fourfold in HDF cells, Li-doped Ag2S NPs upregulated TGF-β1 by tenfold, TIMP1 by 26-fold, and COL1A1 by 18-fold in HaCaT cells and upregulated TGF-β1 by fivefold and COL1A1 by fourfold in HDF cells. Furthermore, Ag2S NPs activated TGF-β1 signaling by increasing the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3. The degree of activation was notably higher in cells treated with Li-doped Ag2S NPs, mainly caused by the higher PL intensity from Li-doped Ag2S NPs. Ag2S NPs NIR activates cell proliferation and collagen synthesis in skin keratinocytes and HDF cells, which can be applied to clinical light therapy and the development of anti-wrinkle agents for cosmetics.

Highlights

Research efforts towards developing near-infrared (NIR) therapeutics to activate the proliferation of human keratinocytes and collagen synthesis in the skin microenvironment have been minimal, and the subject has not been fully explored
Ag2S NPs have been extensively studied currently as attractive NIR-emitting NPs for NIR bioimaging due to their high biocompatibility, deep tissue penetration depth, and unique absorption ability in the UV–NIR regions. These characteristics can be used for multispectral absorption applications in the UV, visible, and NIR spectral ranges because of the light absorption properties of these NPs over a broad wavelength range[25,26,27,28,29]. These unique optical properties, including light absorption ability within a broad wavelength range, NIR emission, and the potential application to NIR therapeutics to control the proliferation of human fibroblasts and collagen synthesis in the skin microenvironment, has motivated our research into replacing A g2S NPs with an artificial NIR instrument to enhance the production of collagen
The peaks in the X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) patterns that displayed varying amounts L i+ doped Ag2S NPs corresponded to the monoclinic Ag2S phase (JCPDS No 014-0072) (Supplementary Fig. S1), and its transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images displayed monodispersed spherical NPs. Li+ concentration did not significantly affect particle morphology, size, and fundamental properties such as the FT-IR spectra and the NPs charges after and before Li+ doping except for some differences in the hydrodynamic diameter

Summary

Introduction

Research efforts towards developing near-infrared (NIR) therapeutics to activate the proliferation of human keratinocytes and collagen synthesis in the skin microenvironment have been minimal, and the subject has not been fully explored. These characteristics can be used for multispectral absorption applications in the UV, visible, and NIR spectral ranges because of the light absorption properties of these NPs over a broad wavelength range[25,26,27,28,29] These unique optical properties, including light absorption ability within a broad wavelength range, NIR emission, and the potential application to NIR therapeutics to control the proliferation of human fibroblasts and collagen synthesis in the skin microenvironment, has motivated our research into replacing A g2S NPs with an artificial NIR instrument to enhance the production of collagen. The development of simple methods for the preparation of high-quality and monodispersed Ag2S NPs is necessary for routine industrial applications, including the manufacturing of dermatological therapies and cosmetic applications

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