WO2017154759A1

WO2017154759A1 - Light therapy device for scleroderma

Info

Publication number: WO2017154759A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/008427
Authority: WO
Inventors: 明理森田; 秀之益田; 木村　誠
Original assignee: 公立大学法人名古屋市立大学; ウシオ電機株式会社
Priority date: 2016-03-07
Filing date: 2017-03-03
Publication date: 2017-09-14
Also published as: JP2017158626A

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a light therapy device for scleroderma that can locally irradiate an affected area with a large irradiation dose necessary for scleroderma treatment without requiring high power consumption and long irradiation times and, therefore, provide a therapeutic effect with excellent efficiency. This light therapy device for scleroderma (10) is characterized by comprising a light source unit (20) that comprises an LED element having a peak wavelength in the 360 nm to 385 nm wavelength range, and a control unit (30) that controls driving the LED element constituting the light source unit.

Description

Phototherapy device for scleroderma

The present invention relates to a phototherapy device for scleroderma used for treating scleroderma which is a kind of skin disease, and more particularly to a phototherapy device for scleroderma for treating scleroderma by ultraviolet irradiation. .

In recent years, a method of irradiating an affected part with ultraviolet rays has been widely used as a method for treating skin diseases. As a phototherapy device for skin diseases for treating skin diseases with ultraviolet rays, a device that is equipped with a discharge lamp as an ultraviolet light source and emits ultraviolet rays (UVA1) in the wavelength range of 340 to 400 nm has been put into practical use ( Specifically, for example, “SELLAMED 2000 System Dr. Sellmeier”). A certain type of phototherapy device for skin diseases in practical use is configured to irradiate the affected area with light from a metal halide lamp via a plurality of (specifically, for example, three) wavelength selection filters. Therefore, there is a problem that the utilization efficiency of light (ultraviolet rays) from the ultraviolet light source is low.

Moreover, in the phototherapy device for skin diseases for treating skin diseases with ultraviolet rays, it has been proposed to use LED elements as ultraviolet light sources (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
Specifically, in the phototherapy device for skin disease according to Patent Document 1, a plurality of LED elements are arranged on a circular substrate or on the concave surface of a housing having a concave surface. In this phototherapy device for skin diseases, the arrangement of the plurality of LED elements or the orientation of the circular substrate or the housing can be changed so that the plurality of LED elements face the affected part. On the other hand, ultraviolet rays can be locally irradiated. That is, the phototherapy device for skin disease according to Patent Document 1 is not only a problem in the phototherapy device for skin disease using a discharge lamp as an ultraviolet light source, specifically, not only the affected area (part to be irradiated with ultraviolet light) but also the affected area. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem that it is impossible to locally irradiate the affected area with the light from the ultraviolet light source.
Patent Document 2 discloses that LED elements having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 350 to 390 nm include intractable eczema, allergic eczema, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata, keloid, scar, There is a description that it is effective in the treatment of skin atrophy linear and scleroderma.
However, in patent document 2, only the healing effect regarding atopic dermatitis is confirmed, and the healing effect regarding other skin diseases is not clarified at all.

On the other hand, scleroderma (systemic scleroderma) is a kind of collagen disease accompanied by sclerosis of the skin, and is recognized as an intractable disease for which a complete treatment method has not been established.
When this scleroderma is to be treated by a method of irradiating ultraviolet rays (UVA1) in the wavelength range of 340 to 400 nm, the effective wavelength for scleroderma is unknown, so the wavelength in the range of 340 to 400 nm. I had to use broad UV rays. Moreover, the treatment of scleroderma requires an extremely large amount of UV irradiation (accumulated dose) for the affected area compared to other skin diseases. High irradiance is required to shorten the treatment time. Specifically, the required ultraviolet irradiation amount (cumulative irradiation amount) is 30 to 60 J / cm ² , for example, an ultraviolet irradiation amount of 60 J / cm ² is set to a practical treatment time (ultraviolet irradiation time), for example, In order to obtain in 10 minutes, the required irradiance is 100 mW / cm ² . For this reason, in a phototherapy device for scleroderma, it is necessary to emit ultraviolet rays in a wide wavelength range with high radiation intensity, and thus the size and power consumption of the treatment device cannot be avoided. This is one of the reasons why the method of irradiating ultraviolet rays is not widely used as a treatment method for scleroderma.
However, scleroderma patients are eager to put the phototherapy device for scleroderma into practical use.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-190058 JP 2007-151807 A

Thus, the present invention has been made as a result of the inventors of the present invention conducting extensive research on phototherapy devices for scleroderma based on the above circumstances and finding an effective wavelength for scleroderma. The purpose is to be able to locally irradiate the affected area with a large dose required for the treatment of scleroderma, without requiring high power consumption and long irradiation time, and thus efficient An object of the present invention is to provide a phototherapy device for scleroderma capable of obtaining an excellent therapeutic effect.

The phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention includes a light source unit including an LED element having a peak wavelength in a wavelength range of 360 to 385 nm, and a control unit that drives and controls the LED element constituting the light source unit. It is characterized by that.

In the phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention, the LED element is preferably an LED element having a peak wavelength in a wavelength range of 365 ± 4 nm.

In the phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention, the light source unit includes a plurality of LED elements in the vertical direction along the periphery of the LED arrangement region in the LED arrangement region formed of a rectangular plane. (Where m is an integer from 2 to 10) are arranged in parallel, and there are a plurality of LED modules in which n pieces (where n is an integer from 2 to 10) are arranged in parallel in the vertical and horizontal directions in parallel. And
In the plurality of LED modules, when the distance between adjacent LED elements is P, the distance between the LED element located on the outermost peripheral side and the peripheral edge of the LED arrangement region is P / 2. And
It is preferable that the plurality of LED modules are arranged side by side in at least one direction of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with the LED arrangement region closely in contact.

In the phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention, the light source unit includes an LED element having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 360 to 385 nm, and therefore, the emitted light from the light source unit is transmitted to the affected part. On the other hand, it can be irradiated locally. Light having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 360 to 385 nm can provide an excellent therapeutic effect for scleroderma.
Therefore, according to the phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention, a large dose (integrated dose) required for the treatment of scleroderma can be applied to the affected area without requiring high power consumption and long irradiation time. On the other hand, irradiation can be performed locally, and thus an excellent therapeutic effect can be obtained efficiently. As a result, the phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention can be reduced in size and power consumption.

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a structure of the phototherapy device for scleroderma of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the light source part in the phototherapy device for scleroderma of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the light source unit in the light source part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the LED module in the light source part of FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the structure of the light irradiation mechanism used in Experimental example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating an example of an arrangement state of light shielding plates in the light irradiation mechanism of FIG. 5. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the light irradiation wavelength and the amount of collagenase obtained in Experimental Example 1.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the phototherapy device for scleroderma of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the light source unit in the phototherapy device for scleroderma of FIG. . FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the light source unit in the light source unit of FIG.
The scleroderma phototherapy device 10 includes a light source unit 20 including an LED element 24, and a control unit 30 that drives and controls the LED element 24 that constitutes the light source unit 20. The light source unit 20 and the control unit 30 include It is supported by the support 11. The support 11 includes a gantry 12 that is supported on the floor via wheels 18, and the light source unit 20 is swung with respect to the column 13 above the column 13 that extends upward at the center of the frame 12. An operating arm 14 that is freely supported is provided. In the support 11, the light source unit 20 is attached to the distal end portion of the operating arm 14, while the control unit 30 is attached to the central portion of the support column 13 by a fixing member (not shown).
In the illustrated example, the light source unit 20 is provided with a manual lever 19 for manually swinging the light source unit 20.

In the light source unit 20, the LED element 24 has a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 360 to 385 nm (hereinafter also referred to as “specific wavelength range”), and preferably in the wavelength range of 365 ± 4 nm, that is, 361 to 369 nm. It has a peak wavelength in the range.
As the LED element 24 has a peak wavelength in the specific wavelength range, the light emitted from the light source unit 20 becomes light having a peak wavelength in the specific wavelength range, and as will be apparent from the experimental examples described below, An excellent therapeutic effect for scleroderma can be obtained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the light source unit 20 preferably includes a plurality (36 in the example of this figure) of LED elements 24.
It is preferable that all of the plurality of LED elements 24 constituting the light source unit 20 have a peak wavelength in a specific wavelength range.
In the example of this figure, the plurality of LED elements 24 are of the same type having a peak wavelength in a specific wavelength range.

Specifically, the light source unit 20 includes a light source unit 21 inside a rectangular cylindrical frame 25. The light source unit 21 includes a plurality of LED elements 24 arranged on a rectangular flat plate-like substrate 23 so as to be arranged vertically and horizontally along the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 23.
The light source unit 21 is supported by a support member (not shown) in a rectangular parallelepiped light source housing 27 having an opening 27A on one side, and is disposed so as to face the opening 27A. The light source unit 21 is electrically connected with a cable 21 </ b> A for supplying power to the plurality of LED elements 24 of the light source unit 21. The light source unit 20 (light source unit 21) and the control unit 30 are electrically connected by the cable 21A. In the light source unit casing 27, the light from the light source unit 21 (specifically, the light from the plurality of LED elements 24) is condensed between the light source unit 21 and the opening 27A. A lens 26 for mixing is disposed, and an aperture 29 set to a predetermined size is provided between the lens 26 and the opening 27A in the vicinity of the opening 27A. In addition, the light source housing 27 is provided with a window member 28 so as to close the opening 27A. The opening 27A, the aperture 29, and the window member 28 constitute a light emitting part of the light source part 20.
In this way, the light source unit 20 is configured to mix the light from the plurality of LED elements 24 while condensing the light from the lens 26 and radiate it from the light emitting unit.
In the example of this figure, the irradiation area (hereinafter also referred to as “maximum irradiation area”) on the irradiation surface (UV irradiation target area) when the plurality of LED elements 24 constituting the light source unit 20 are turned on all at once is a square shape. Thus, the standard of the size of the maximum irradiation region is that the vertical dimension and the horizontal dimension are 100 mm.

In the light source unit 21, as shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of LED elements 24 are arranged vertically and horizontally on the substrate 23 at a predetermined interval, specifically, at a predetermined pitch (center-to-center distance). It is preferable to arrange in a grid pattern.
In the example of this figure, a plurality (36) of LED elements 24 are arranged along the outer peripheral edge of the substrate 23 in a lattice shape (6 rows by 6 columns) at equal intervals of a pitch of 20 cm.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light source unit 21 includes a plurality (four in the example of this figure) of rectangular LED modules 22, and the plurality of LED modules 22 (specifically, The LED arrangement area (to be described later) is closely arranged vertically and horizontally.
In the example of this figure, in the light source unit 21, two LED modules 22 are juxtaposed in the vertical direction, and two LED modules 22 are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction.

The plurality of LED modules 22 have the same configuration.
Each of the plurality of LED modules 22 has a plurality of LED elements 24 in the vertical direction along the peripheral edge of the LED arrangement region in the LED arrangement region formed by the surface (plane) of the module board 23A having a rectangular flat plate shape. m pieces (where m is an integer of 2 to 10) are arranged in parallel, and n pieces (where n is an integer of 2 to 10) are arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other at equal intervals. It is a thing. In each of the plurality of LED modules 22, the entire surface of the module substrate 23 </ b> A is an LED arrangement region, and thus the periphery of the LED arrangement region is configured by the outer periphery of the module substrate 23 </ b> A. And the board | substrate 23 is comprised by several module board | substrate 23A.
Here, in each of the plurality of LED modules 22, the number of LED elements 24 arranged in the vertical direction (hereinafter also referred to as “vertical parallel number”) m and the number of LED elements 24 arranged in the horizontal direction (hereinafter referred to as “horizontal”). It is also referred to as “the number in parallel.”) N is 2 to 10 in terms of the treatment efficiency and the degree of freedom in the design of the treatment device.
More specifically, by reducing the arrangement interval of the LED elements 24 on the module substrate 23A and increasing the number of mounted LED elements 24, it is possible to improve the irradiance and irradiance uniformity on the irradiation surface, and thus efficiently treat An effect can be obtained. However, the amount of heat generated in the LED module 22 increases as the arrangement interval of the LED elements 24 is reduced to increase the number of mounted elements. Therefore, the phototherapy device 10 for scleroderma requires a cooling structure provided with cooling means such as a cooling fan and a heat sink, thereby increasing the size of the treatment device and increasing the manufacturing cost. Therefore, in view of these, by setting the vertical parallel number m and the horizontal parallel number n within the above ranges, the irradiance and the irradiance uniformity on the irradiated surface are improved without requiring a large cooling structure. be able to.
In the example of this figure, each of the plurality of LED modules 22 includes nine LED elements 24 in the vertical direction along the outer peripheral edge of the module substrate 23A on the surface of the square flat module substrate 23A. These are arranged in parallel, and three are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and spaced apart from each other at equal intervals. That is, in the LED module 22, the vertical parallel number m is 3, and the horizontal parallel number n is 3.

In each of the plurality of LED modules 22, as shown in FIG. 4, a distance between LED elements 24 adjacent to each other, specifically, a distance between centers (hereinafter also referred to as “inter-element pitch”). When P, the distance between the LED element 24 positioned on the outermost peripheral side and the peripheral edge of the LED arrangement region, specifically, the center of the LED element 24 positioned on the outermost peripheral side and the peripheral edge of the LED arrangement region The distance between them (hereinafter also referred to as “edge-element pitch”) is P / 2. Here, the “LED element located on the outermost peripheral side” means the peripheral edge of the LED arrangement area in the LED element group composed of a plurality of LED elements 24 arranged in tandem in the LED arrangement area (the surface of the module substrate 22A). The LED element 24 which comprises the row | line | column (column or row) adjacent to the four edges which comprise is shown.
In the LED module 22 having such a configuration, the vertical dimension Lm of the module board 23A is equal to the product of the number m of vertical parallels and the element pitch P, while the horizontal dimension Ln of the module board 23A is horizontal parallel. It is the same value as the product of the number n and the element pitch P.
In the example of this figure, the element pitch (P) is 20 mm, and therefore the edge-element pitch (P / 2) is 10 mm. The vertical dimension Lm and the horizontal dimension Ln of the module substrate 23A are both 60 mm, and the surface (LED arrangement region) of the module substrate 23A is square. The substrate 23 has a vertical dimension of 120 mm (= Lm × 2) and a horizontal dimension of 120 (= Ln × 2).

When the edge-element pitch is P / 2, the plurality of LED modules 22 (LED arrangement regions) are closely arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions on the substrate 23 constituted by the plurality of module substrates 23A. The plurality of LED elements 24 can be arranged in a lattice form in the vertical and horizontal directions at equal intervals P between the elements. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, P is a distance between the LED elements 24 positioned on the outermost peripheral side of the LED modules 22 adjacent to each other. As a result, it is possible to easily design the light source unit 20 having the desired maximum irradiation area by using a plurality of LED modules 22 in combination with the number and arrangement thereof being adjusted.

As the LED element 24, an LED element having a peak in a specific wavelength range made of an InGaN-based semiconductor, an LED element having a peak in a specific wavelength range made of an AlGaN-based semiconductor, or the like is used.
In the example of this figure, as the plurality of LED elements 24, surface mount type LED elements made of an InGaN-based semiconductor having a peak wavelength at a wavelength of 365 nm are used.

As the lens 26, a convex lens, a Fresnel lens, or the like can be used.
When the Fresnel lens is used as the lens 26, the light source unit 20 can be downsized as compared with the case where a convex lens is used as the lens 26. Therefore, the phototherapy device 10 for scleroderma can be downsized. Can do.
In the illustrated example, a convex lens is used as the lens 26.

As the window member 28, a material having high mechanical strength as well as light transmittance with respect to light from the light source unit 21 (specifically, light from the plurality of LED elements 24) is used.
A specific example of the material of the window member 28 is, for example, quartz glass.

The aperture 29 has a size equal to or smaller than the opening 27A.
Since the aperture 29 is provided in the light source unit 20, the boundary between the irradiation region and the non-irradiation region can be clarified on the irradiation surface (ultraviolet irradiation target region). It is possible to prevent light irradiation (low-power exposure) on other parts.

The control unit 30 drives and controls the LED elements 24 constituting the light source unit 20.
The control unit 30 drives and controls the LED elements 24 constituting the light source unit 20, specifically, a plurality of LED elements 24, so that the light source unit 20 has the desired light according to the size of the affected part and the state of the affected part. Can be emitted.
More specifically, for example, when the affected part (ultraviolet irradiation target site) is smaller than the maximum irradiation region, a part of the plurality of LED elements 24 constituting the light source unit 20 is selectively selected according to the shape of the affected part. Can be lit.

In addition, in the light emitted from the light source unit 20, the irradiance is appropriately determined depending on the state of the affected part, the treatment time (irradiation time), and the like. Specifically, it is preferably 100 mW / cm ² or more.
Here, the ultraviolet irradiation amount (integrated irradiation amount) required for the treatment of scleroderma is 30 to 60 J / cm ² . For example, when the irradiance in the light emitted from the light source unit 20 is 100 mW / cm ² , the time (irradiation time) required to obtain an ultraviolet irradiation amount (integrated irradiation amount) of 60 J / cm ² is 10 For minutes.

The control unit 30 is provided with a control unit such as an LED driving power supply unit and a PLC in a rectangular parallelepiped control unit casing 37, and graphic operation is performed on the side of the control unit casing 27. A panel 39 is provided.

In such a scleroderma phototherapy device 10, the light source unit 20 is disposed so that the window member 28 faces the ultraviolet irradiation target site. Here, it is preferable that the phototherapy device 10 for scleroderma is used in a state where the ultraviolet irradiation target site and the light source unit 20 (window member 28) are in contact with each other, from the viewpoint of stably securing irradiance. And in the light source part 20, the LED element 24 to which electric power was supplied from the control part 30 is turned on, and the emitted light from the light source part 20 is irradiated (surface irradiation) to the affected part.

Thus, the scleroderma phototherapeutic device 10 is such that the emitted light from the light source unit 20 is light having a peak wavelength in a specific wavelength range. By irradiating the affected area, collagenase (MMP1), which is an enzyme that degrades and fragments collagen that causes scleroderma skin hardening, can be expressed with a significant difference. Therefore, an excellent therapeutic effect for scleroderma can be obtained.
Further, since the light source unit 20 includes the light source unit 21 including a plurality of LED elements 24 having a peak wavelength in a specific wavelength range, light (ultraviolet rays) from the light source unit 21 is applied to the affected part. Irradiation can be performed without going through a wavelength selection filter or the like. Moreover, since the LED element 24 emits light in one direction, local light irradiation can be performed. Therefore, the light from the light source unit 21 can be used effectively.
And since the control part 30 which drives and controls the several LED element 24 which comprises the light source part 20 is provided, all of the several LED elements 24 which comprise the light source part 20, or among several LED elements 24 By selectively lighting a part of the light, it is possible to irradiate the desired light according to the size of the affected area.
Therefore, according to the phototherapy device 10 for scleroderma, a large irradiation amount (integrated irradiation amount) required for the treatment of scleroderma can be applied to the affected part without requiring high power consumption and long irradiation time. Irradiation can be performed locally, and thus an excellent therapeutic effect can be obtained efficiently. As a result, the scleroderma phototherapy device 10 can be reduced in size and power consumption.

Further, in the phototherapy device 10 for scleroderma, an LED element having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 365 ± 4 nm is used as the LED element 24 constituting the light source unit 20, so that it will be clear from an experimental example described later. In addition, an even better therapeutic effect can be obtained.

In addition, since the light treatment device 10 for scleroderma is provided with a plurality of LED modules 22 in the light source unit 20 (light source unit 21), an easy method of adjusting the number and arrangement of the LED modules 22 is used. Depending on the size of the maximum irradiation region required for the phototherapy device 10 for scleroderma, it is possible to reduce the size and increase the size.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, the phototherapeutic device for scleroderma of the present invention only needs to have a light source unit and a control unit, and the configuration of the light source unit and the configuration of the control unit are the same as those shown in FIGS. It is not limited and various components other than the light source unit and the control unit can be used.
Specifically, for example, the phototherapy device for scleroderma may be a small one having a configuration in which a light source unit and a control unit are electrically connected by a long power supply line. In this small scleroderma phototherapeutic device, the light source unit has an LED module 1 having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped light source unit housing having an opening closed on one side by a window member. The control unit is a unit in which an LED driving power supply unit and a control unit are disposed inside a rectangular parallelepiped control unit casing. In this small scleroderma phototherapy device, the standard of the size of the maximum irradiation region on the irradiation surface (the ultraviolet irradiation target site) is 50 mm in vertical and horizontal dimensions. In addition, a handle is provided on the outer surface of the light source unit casing, and a graphic operation panel is provided on the outer surface of the control unit casing. This small-sized scleroderma phototherapy device is a handy type in which a handle is held with one hand and a light source unit is moved and placed at an intended position during treatment.
Further, the scleroderma phototherapy device includes a light source unit in which 60 LED modules having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 are disposed in a rectangular parallelepiped light source unit housing having an opening on one side, and a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A control unit in which the LED driving power supply unit and the control unit are disposed, and the light source unit is provided by a light source unit driving mechanism provided on the outer surface of the control unit casing. The large thing of the structure formed by being supported may be sufficient. Here, sixty LED modules are arranged closely in a row in the vertical direction, with six in the vertical direction and 10 in the horizontal direction. In this large scleroderma phototherapeutic device, the standard of the size of the maximum irradiation area on the irradiation surface (the ultraviolet irradiation target site) is a vertical dimension of 500 mm and a horizontal dimension of 300 mm. In addition, a graphic operation panel is provided on the outer surface of the control unit casing.

In addition, the light source unit is not limited to a configuration in which a plurality of LED modules are arranged vertically and horizontally as shown in FIG. 3, and a plurality of LED modules are arranged only in the longitudinal direction. Or may be arranged side by side only in the lateral direction.
Further, in the LED module, the LED arrangement region is not limited to that formed by the surface of the rectangular flat plate-like substrate, and may be formed by the plane of the LED element support member having a plane.

Hereinafter, experimental examples of the present invention will be described.

[Experimental Example 1]
First, normal human fibroblasts 1 × 10 ³ cells are seeded in a plurality of wells of a 96-well plate (Greiner bio-one, Monroe, NC), and the temperature is 37 ° C. using a constant humidity incubator. Culturing was performed for 4 days under the condition of 5% carbon dioxide concentration in the incubator atmosphere. Thereafter, in each well, the medium was replaced with physiological saline (PBS (−)). And for each of a plurality of wells other than one well, six types of LED irradiators that emit light having different peak wavelengths are used, and the irradiation amount (integrated irradiation amount) is 15 J / cm ² . According to the output of each LED irradiator, light irradiation was performed under the irradiation time conditions shown in Table 1 below. In this light irradiation, considering that normal human fibroblasts are adherent cells that adhere to the bottom surface of the plate (well) and that the depth of the well in the 96-well plate used is about 11 mm, The irradiation distance in each well (specifically, the separation distance between the LED irradiator and the bottom surface of the well) was set to 20 mm. The distance between the LED irradiator and the 96-well plate was 6 mm. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the light irradiation by each LED irradiator 45, one direction including one well 41 in which cells are cultured on a 96 well plate 40 (up and down direction in FIG. 6). A light shielding plate 44 is disposed so as to cover a plurality of wells other than one well group arranged in parallel.
Here, as six types of LED irradiators, Ushio Electric Co. or Immac Co., Ltd., a wavelength 355 nm LED irradiator having a peak wavelength at 355 nm, a wavelength 360 nm LED irradiator having a peak wavelength at 360 nm, a wavelength of 365 nm A wavelength 365 nm LED irradiator having a peak wavelength, a wavelength 375 nm LED irradiator having a peak wavelength at 375 nm, a wavelength 385 nm LED irradiator having a peak wavelength at 385 nm, and a wavelength 395 nm LED irradiator having a peak wavelength at 395 nm were used. Here, the wavelength 355 nm LED irradiator and the wavelength 360 nm LED irradiator are provided with bullet-type LED elements made of an AlGaN-based semiconductor. In addition, the wavelength 365 nm LED irradiator, the wavelength 385 nm LED irradiator, and the wavelength 395 nm LED irradiator include surface-mounted LED elements made of an InGaN-based semiconductor. The 375 nm wavelength LED irradiator includes a bullet-type LED element made of an InGaN-based semiconductor. In addition, as a control condition, one well was not irradiated with light.
In FIG. 5, 48 is a power source that supplies power to the

LED irradiator

45, and 49 is a power supply line that electrically connects the LED irradiator 45 and the power source 48. Moreover, the optical path of the light from the LED irradiator 45 is indicated by a broken line.

Next, in each of the plurality of wells subjected to light irradiation and the wells not subjected to light irradiation (control wells), physiological saline was sucked and removed, and 100 μL / well of a culture solution was added thereto, and a constant humidity incubator was used. The cells were cultured for 2 days under the conditions of a temperature of 37 ° C. and a carbon dioxide concentration of 5% in the incubator atmosphere.
Then, RNA (ribonucleic acid) is extracted from cells cultured in each of a plurality of wells using RNA purification kit “RNeasy Mini kit” (QIAGEN), and cDNA (complementary deoxyribonucleic acid) is synthesized from RNA. CDNA was synthesized (reverse transcription) from the extracted RNA using a kit for “reverse transcription” “High Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription kit” (manufactured by QIAGEN). The resulting multiple (specifically, seven types) cDNA samples are amplified and analyzed using a real-time PCR system “CFX Connect” (manufactured by BIO-RAD), and scleroderma skin. The amount of collagenase (MMP1), which is an enzyme that decomposes and fragments collagen that causes hardening, was confirmed. The results are shown in FIG.
In FIG. 7, the amount of collagenase is a value obtained based on the amount of housekeeping gene (GAPDH). Then, the amount of collagenase related to the cells cultured in the plurality of wells subjected to the light irradiation is indicated by “control”, respectively, and the collagen related to the cells cultured in the control wells not subjected to the light irradiation. It is shown as a relative value based on the amount of the enzyme. Further, “**” indicates that the P value is 0.01 or less in the t test.

From the results of Experimental Example 1, even when light irradiation was performed under any of the wavelength conditions of wavelength 355 nm, wavelength 360 nm, wavelength 365 nm, wavelength 375 nm, wavelength 385 nm, and 395 nm, it caused scleroderma skin hardening. It is clear that the expression of collagenase (MMP1), an enzyme that degrades and fragments collagen, is increased. In particular, it is clear that collagenase is expressed with a significant difference when light irradiation is performed under the wavelength conditions of wavelength 360 nm, wavelength 365 nm, wavelength 375 nm, and wavelength 385 nm. Collagenase expression shows a peak under the wavelength condition of 365 nm, and the amount of collagenase under the wavelength condition of 365 nm is 7.7 times that in the control condition, that is, when no light irradiation is performed.
Therefore, it was confirmed that the light having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 360 to 385 nm is an effective wavelength for scleroderma, that is, light that provides an excellent therapeutic effect for scleroderma. Further, it was confirmed that light having a peak wavelength in the wavelength range of 365 ± 4 nm is light that can obtain a further excellent therapeutic effect.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Phototherapy device for scleroderma 11 Support body 12 Base 13 Support | pillar 14 Actuating arm 18 Wheel 19 Manual lever 20 Light source unit 21 Light source unit 21A Cable 22 LED module 23 Substrate 23A Module substrate 24 LED element 25 Frame body 26 Lens 27 Light source unit Housing 27A Opening 28 Window member 29 Aperture 30 Control unit 37 Control unit housing 39 Graphic operation panel 40 96 well plate 41 well 44 light shielding plate 45 LED irradiator 48 power supply 49 feeding line

Claims

A phototherapeutic device for scleroderma comprising a light source unit having an LED element having a peak wavelength in a wavelength range of 360 to 385 nm and a control unit for driving and controlling the LED element constituting the light source unit .
The phototherapy device for scleroderma according to claim 1, wherein the LED element is an LED element having a peak wavelength in a wavelength range of 365 ± 4 nm.
In the light source unit, a plurality of LED elements are arranged in the vertical direction along the periphery of the LED arrangement area (where m is an integer of 2 to 10) in the LED arrangement area formed of a rectangular plane. In addition, a plurality of LED modules are arranged in which n pieces (where n is an integer of 2 to 10) are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction at equal intervals in the horizontal direction,
In the plurality of LED modules, when the distance between adjacent LED elements is P, the distance between the LED element located on the outermost peripheral side and the peripheral edge of the LED arrangement region is P / 2. And
3. The scleroderma according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of LED modules are arranged such that the LED arrangement region is closely arranged in at least one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. Light therapy device.