Infrared light therapy relieves TLR-4 dependent hyper-inflammation of the type induced by COVID-19

Abstract

The leading cause of mortality from COVID-19 infection is respiratory distress due to an exaggerated host immune response, resulting in hyper-inflammation and ensuing cytokine storms in the lungs. Current drug-based therapies are of limited efficacy, costly, and have potential negative side effects. By contrast, photobiomodulation therapy, which involves periodic brief exposure to red or infrared light, is a noninvasive, safe, and affordable method that is currently being used to treat a wide range of diseases with underlying inflammatory conditions. Here, we show that exposure to two 10-min, high-intensity periods per day of infrared light causes a marked reduction in the TLR-4 dependent inflammatory response pathway, which has been implicated in the onset of cytokine storms in COVID-19 patients. Infrared light exposure resulted in a significant decline in NFkB and AP1 activity as measured by the reporter gene assay; decreased expression of inflammatory marker genes IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, INF-alpha, and INF-beta as determined by qPCR gene expression assay; and an 80% decline in secreted cytokine IL6 as measured by ELISA assay in cultured human cells. All of these changes occurred after only 48 hours of treatment. We suggest that an underlying cellular mechanism involving modulation of ROS may downregulate the host immune response after Infrared Light exposure, leading to decrease in inflammation. We further discuss technical considerations involving light sources and exposure conditions to put these observations into potential clinical use to treat COVID-19 induced mortality.

The anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation are mediated by cytokines: Evidence from a mouse model of inflammation

“…Our results are also consistent with in vitro studies on human cell lines investigating the anti-inflammatory effects of PBM. Aguida et al found that daily exposure of HEK293 cells to two 10-min, high-intensity periods of IR light caused a significant reduction in the TLR-4 dependent inflammatory response pathway ( Aguida et al, 2021 ). In particular, within 2 days of treatment, they found that exposure to the light source resulted in a significant decline in NF-κB and AP1 activity, and decreased expression of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, IFN-α, and IFN-β.…”

Light as a Cure in COVID-19: A Challenge for Medicine

“…The authors "further discussed technical considerations involving light sources and exposure conditions to put their observations into potential clinical use to treat COVID-19" [51].…”

The Case Report on the Effectiveness of Infrared Light on Acid Burn Victim

“…It can promote healthy sleep, guard against oxidative stress, and lessen inflammation and pain. Infrared's inflammation-reducing properties have led to its use in several treatment regimens, including the treatment of COVID-19 [7]. Red light, in this case, provides a non-invasive and affordable method to treat various inflammatory conditions.…”