Photobiomodulation enhances macrophage phagocytic capacity via Rac1 activation

Photobiomodulation (PBM), as a nonpharmacological and noninvasive physiotherapy, has a wide range of biological effects to change specific pathological processes. The phagocytosis of macrophages has been reported to be enhanced by PBM, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not completely revealed. Here, we found that the activation of Rac1 is responsible for enhancement of macrophage phagocytic capacity in PBM treatment. Transfection of dominant negative Rac1 (DN-Rac1) significantly inhibited macrophage phagocytosis induced by PBM. These findings potentially promote the application of PBM in the clinical treatment of infection related diseases.