Effects of Therapy with Light Emitting Diode (LED) in the Calcaneal Tendon Lesions of Rats: A Literature Review

Abstract

The objective of this review was to analyze original articles about the effects of therapy with LED in experimental models of calcaneal tendon lesions of rats. The search was performed in the period from February to May 2018, in the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, SciELO, and LILACS, besides the Google Scholar, using the descriptors “Achilles tendon”, “Rats”, “LED”, “Tendinopathy”, and “Low-level Light Therapy”, as well as their matching parts in the Portuguese and Spanish languages, related to and in association with the relevant terms to the content sought. From the descriptors used 215 works were found. After application of eligibility criteria 8 works were selected, in which positive results were found after the application of the LED. Regarding the main results found with phototherapy, we observed a significant reduction in inflammation. Only one article mentioned little reduction of inflammation. In relation to the number of sessions, there was wide variation, with an average of approximately 5 sessions every 24 hours. Studies in this review pointed out, therefore, positive results in the repair of the calcaneal tendon after therapy with irradiation LED; however, carrying out more experimental studies that help the standardization of parameters to be used in this therapy for further clinical studies becomes necessary.

Inhibitory effect of red LED irradiation on fibroblasts and co-culture of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

“…The photons emitted by LED irradiation are absorbed by specific cellular photoreceptors, initiating several intracellular reactions, which lead to changes in membrane potential, O 2 consumption and RNA and DNA synthesis (Prindeze et al, 2012;Avci et al, 2013). These events contribute to the therapeutic effects of LED irradiation demonstrated in the repair of some tissues, such as muscle, skin, tendon, and periodontium (de Melo et al, 2016;Chen et al, 2019;Martignago et al, 2019;Nascimento et al, 2019). Despite benefiting tissue repair, the therapeutic potential of LED irradiation is still controversial due to the divergence of protocols used (Yeh et al, 2010).…”

Effect of low intensity photobiomodulation associated with norbixin-based poly (hydroxybutyrate) membrane on post-tenotomy tendon repair. In vivo study

“…It has been observed that animals treated with LED after tendinous lesions show improvement in inflammatory conditions when compared to nonirradiated animals 29,30 . Such effect on inflammation, obtained by LED therapy, is related to increased peripheral microcirculation, modification of membrane potential, resulting in anti-inflammatory effects 29,31 . It is known that norbixin, a component of the membrane, has anti-inflammatory properties, as already demonstrated by Viana et al 32 in an in vitro induced peritonitis model, thus justifying the reduced acute inflammation in the Membrane + LED groups.…”

Can photobiomodulation therapy (LASER/LED) associated or not with biomaterials accelerate the process of bone repair the lower limbs of rats? A systematic review study

“…Different therapeutic modalities have been investigated in order to accelerate the bone repair process; however, recently, the studies consisting of the use of biomaterials and/or photobiomodulation have gained great prominence in the literature, due to their promising results (5)(6)(7)(8). Photobiomodulation (PBMT) by low level laser therapy (LLLT) promotes stimulation of radiation through the electromagnetic spectrum of the visible (red) or invisible (infrared), and has its own physical characteristics, such as: monochromaticity (single narrow spectral band), collimation (parallel waves) and coherence (phase waves) (9)(10), on the other hand, PBMT by light-emitting diode (LED) does not present collimation and coherence, however, presents single spectral band (11).…”