Effects of low‑power red laser and blue LED on mRNA levels from DNA repair genes in human breast cancer cells

Photobiomodulation (PBM) induced by non-ionizing radiations emitted from low-power lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has been used for various therapeutic purposes due to its molecular, cellular, and systemic effects. At the molecular level, experimental data have suggested that PBM modulates base excision repair (BER), which is responsible for restoring DNA damage. There is a relationship between the misfunction of the BER DNA repair pathway and the development of tumors, including breast cancer. However, the effects of PBM on cancer cells have been controversial. Breast cancer (BC) is the main public health problem in the world and is the most diagnosed type of cancer among women worldwide. Therefore, the evaluation of new strategies, such as PBM, could increase knowledge about BC and improve therapies against BC. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the effects of low-power red laser (658 nm) and blue LED (470 nm) on the mRNA levels from BER genes in human breast cancer cells. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were irradiated with a low-power red laser (69 J cm-2, 0.77 W cm-2) and blue LED (482 J cm-2, 5.35 W cm-2), alone or in combination, and the relative mRNA levels of the APTX , PolB , and PCNA genes were assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results suggested that exposure to low-power red laser and blue LED decreased the mRNA levels from APTX , PolB , and PCNA genes in human breast cancer cells. Our research shows that photobiomodulation induced by low-power red laser and blue LED decreases the mRNA levels of repair genes from the base excision repair pathway in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells.