LAUSR

BACKGROUND Skin fibrosis is a debilitating condition that significantly impacts patient quality of life. Ultraviolet phototherapy is currently used to treat several diseases featuring skin fibrosis. High-fluence light-emitting diode–generated red light (HF-LED-RL) does not cause DNA damage associated with skin cancer, and it is generally regarded as safe, portable, and cost-effective. Early clinical observations suggest that LED-generated light may possess antifibrotic effects, although these findings are largely unexplored. Previously published research demonstrated that HF-LED-RL decreases fibroblast proliferation and collagen in vitro. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to compare the combination effects of HF-LED-RL alone with HF-LED-RL in combination with resveratrol. MATERIALS AND METHODS It is hypothesized that resveratrol, an active ingredient in red wine, a potent antioxidant scavenger of reactive oxygen species, and an inhibitor of collagen production, may synergistically decrease fibroblast proliferation and collagen production when combined with HF-LED-RL. RESULTS In this study, evidence is provided that resveratrol combined with HF-LED-RL acts synergistically to decrease fibroblast proliferation and procollagen 1A1 production, and this represents a new potential therapeutic modality that is termed the “photobotanical” effect due to the combined light and botanical properties observed. CONCLUSION The study, discovery, and use of photobotanical combinations may usher in new therapeutics or phototherapy adjuvants for the treatment of dermatologic diseases.