312 Nm UVB Phototherapy Limits Atherosclerosis by Regulating Immunoinflammatory Responses in Mice

Overview

Journal Kobe J Med Sci

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2025 Feb 24

PMID 39993786

Authors

Aga Krisnanda

Naoto Sasaki

Ken Ito

Toru Tanaka

Masakazu Shinohara

Hilman Zulkifli Amin

Sayo Horibe

Motoaki Iwaya

Ken-Ichi Hirata

Atsushi Fukunaga

Yoshiyuki Rikitake

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aim: Our previous studies identified ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation as a possible approach for preventing atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of 312 nm UVB, a wavelength similar to that of clinically available narrow-band UVB for the treatment of psoriasis, on atherosclerosis and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods And Results: Using a recently developed UVB-light-emitting diode device, we irradiated 6-week-old male atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E-deficient mice with 312 nm UVB at 5 or 10 kJ/m² and examined its effect on the development of atherosclerosis and immunoinflammatory responses by performing histological analysis, flow cytometry, biochemical assays, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. UVB irradiation at 10 kJ/m² but not at 5 kJ/m² significantly attenuated the development of aortic root atherosclerotic plaques, while UVB irradiation at both doses induced a less inflammatory plaque phenotype. This atheroprotective effect was associated with a reduced effector T cell number, a shift toward anti-atherogenic helper T cell responses, and increased proportion of regulatory T cells in lymphoid tissues and increased levels of proresolving lipid mediators in the skin.

Conclusions: We demonstrated that 312 nm UVB irradiation limits atherosclerosis by favorably modulating the T cell balance and lipid mediator profile. Our findings indicate that 312 nm UVB phototherapy could be an attractive immunomodulatory approach for preventing and treating atherosclerosis.

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