Photobiomodulation promotes angiogenesis in wound healing through stimulating the nuclear translocation of VEGFR2 and STAT3

In recent years, Photobiomodulation (PBM) has gained prevalence as a kind of physical therapy for wound healing, however, concerning specific cellular mechanisms induced by PBM remains uncertain. The objective of this study is to evaluate the mechanisms of action of PBM (632.8 nm) on angiogenesis in wound healing in vitro and vivo. In the present work, we indicated that PBM with 1.0 J/cm2 irradiation dose exerts positive effects on cell viability, migration, proliferation and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the VEGFA/VEGFR2/STAT3 pathway plays an important role in PBM effecting cellular function and promoting angiogenesis in wound healing. In addition, we also found that PBM activated the VEGFA/VEGFR2/STAT3 pathway by stimulating VEGFR2 and STAT3 nuclear translocation in the presence of importin-β. Our research offer a new insight into the potential molecular mechanisms in which PBM promotes angiogenesis in wound healing. •PBM promotes proliferation and tube formation of HUVECs and angiogenesis in wound healing through activation of the VEGFA/VEGFR2/STAT3 signaling pathway in HUVECs.•PBM stimulates the nuclear translocation of VEGFR2 and STAT3, activating VEGFA/VEGFR2/STAT3/VEGFA positive feedback loop in HUVECs.•In addition, we define a crucial role for importin-β in mediating the nuclear translocation of VEGFR2 and STAT3 in HUVECs.