アルゴンイオンレーザーのメラニン色素褪色効果のin vitroにおける解析

抄録

Many experimental treatments for oral pigmented lesions with several kinds of lasers have been applied and consequently, the argon ion (Ar⁺) laser is used clinically as one of the most effective lasers for decolorizing. This in vitro study was carried out to clarify the depigmentation mechanism by low energy Ar⁺ laser irradiation. Each cultured human melanotic malignant melanoma cell colony was irradiated by the laser at 0.31 J/cm². Each colony was fixed in time sequence and examined microscopically and ultramicroscopically.
The present study disclosed the tyrosinase inactivation and decrease in the number of melanosomes of the lased melanoma cells. Subcellular degeneration was very mild and the mature melanin granules markedly decreased concomitantly with the increased secretion of the granules. These findings suggest that Ar⁺ laser irradiation evokes decolorization effect by the mechanism of 1) organelle-specific injury, 2) hypersecretion of melanosomes and 3) maturation arrest of melanosomes, related to its photoactivity.