title: Changes in nail keratin observed by Raman spectroscopy after Nd:YAG laser treatment.
abstract: Lasers and photodynamic therapy have been considered a convergence treatment for onychomycosis, which is a fungal infection on the nail bed and nail plate. Laser therapies have shown satisfactory results without significant complications for onychomycosis; however, the mechanism of clearing remains unknown. In this work, we investigated changes in the chemical structure of nail keratin induced by Nd:YAG laser using Raman spectroscopy. Toe nails with onychomycosis were treated with 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. After laser treatment, the disulfide band (490-590 cm-1) of nail keratin was rarely observed or was reduced in intensity. The amide I band (1500-1700 cm-1) also showed changes induced by the laser. The α-helical (1652 cm-1) structures dominated the β-sheet (1673 cm-1) in nontreated nail, but the opposite phenomenon was observed after laser treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae In
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate school, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Wan Sun
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate school, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.|Program of Medical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.|Healthcare Industry Research Institute, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hun-Kuk
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate school, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.|Program of Medical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Sook
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000737:chemistry*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000382:microbiology; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011489:Protein Denaturation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary / Q000528:radiation effects; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D007633:Keratins
keywords: Nd:YAG; Raman spectroscopy; fungus; keratin; onychomycosis