Laser Photons and Pharmacological Treatments in Wound Healing

Abstract

The exploitation of photobiology in medicine has been of great interest to mankind. There is a growing interest in the use of lasers for treatment purposes because of the photochemical alterations induced in biomolecules by light energy. In this paper we present our data on laser biostimulation, the combination of pharmacological treatments Solcoseryl TM (SS) and Polygen TM (PG) with light therapy using in-vitro and in-vivo models. In-vitro experiments indicate the ability of laser photons and pharmacological agents SS or PG to augment or abate the cloning efficiency of various cell lines. In-vivo studies focused on the dosimetry of various laser wavelengths and the use of wound healing drugs and 632.8nm laser in wound healing. The application of pharmacological treatments combined with laser therapy reveals the utility of light-drug treatment combinations. Given the ever-increasing cost of medical care, the burden incurred on patients, caregivers and society, this line of research fulfills the increasing need to develop treatment methods that enhance wound healing, especially in situations involving resistance to healing. Key Words: Laser Therapy, wound healing, growth factors. IntroductionDuring the last decade, a growing interest in Photomedicine has emerged from the creative use of lasers, giving rise to the field of "Laser Biostimulation" or "Low Level Laser Therapy". This form of therapy is now widely used for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including wound healing, reduction of edema and pain of various etiologies.Wound healing photons and its dosimetric parameters have been studied extensively in our laboratory using various lasers: HeCd (442nm), Argon (488-514nm), HeNe (632.8nm), Krypton (670nm), GaAlAs (780nm and 830nm) and CO 2 (10,600nm).(1-4) Our studies suggest that HeNe 632.8nm is the best laser for biostimulation and that laser acceleration of wound healing cannot be attributed to laser skin transmission. (5) We determined the effect of 632.8nm laser in-vitro and invivo with SS, a calf hemodialysate and PG, a cocktail of growth factors and growth hormone (GH). Our in-vitro studies support the use of combined laser+SS (Al-Watban et al., in press) and laser+PG treatments in a nutrient deficient medium.(6) Our in-vivo studies on normal rats have shown that laser+SS or laser+PG minimally accelerate wound healing when compared to the single effect of 632.8nm laser (Al-Watban et al, in press). As a follow-up to our previous studies, we now present a report on a study in which we used an impaired wound healing model to further test the efficacy of laser+drug therapy.The need to promote wound healing, especially during a state of impairment, is imperative due to the ever-increasing cost of medical care and the burden imposed on patients, health care services and society, in general. Materials and Methods In-vivo ExperimentsAnimals: A number of male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. The animals were originally imported from Charles River Co., UK in 1984. Now they are bred and provid...

Evaluation of the use of low level laser and photosensitizer drugs in healing

“…The results corroborate the positive biomodulator effect of laser therapy on wound healing described in the literature [22,26]. The use of laser radiation of low intensity to stimulate the proliferative phase of healing has been previously reported [4], although, in general, such studies have focused on the isolated progress of specific healing periods [20].…”

“…Low level laser therapy (at a fluency of 2.0 J/cm 2 and short time of exposition to radiation) has been shown [21] to induce proliferation in cultured human gingival fibroblasts. Studies [26] performed on normal rats submitted to several laser wavelengths and drugs showed that the effects of laser exposition depend on the dose used and may cause either stimulation (2-16 J/cm 2 ), zero bioactivation (20 J/cm 2 ), or inhibition (24-28 J/cm 2 ).…”

Comparison between Wound Healing in Induced Diabetic and Nondiabetic Rats after Low-Level Laser Therapy

“…This form of therapy is now widely used for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including wound healing, reduction of edema, and elimination of pain of various etiologies. 26 In this study, we examined the hypothesis that laser photostimulation can facilitate healing of impaired wounds in experimental diabetes using a rat model. Our results using LLLT show a decreased number of inflammatory cells in the injury site.…”

Effects of low-level laser therapy on wound healing

“…Lasers are classified into high and low power. The first is generally applied for the removal, cutting and coagulating of tissues, while the low-power ones are more commonly applied in the processes of tissue repair, such as muscle, joint, nerve, bone and skin injuries 6,13,14 .…”

“…In addition, it contributes to increase the motility of epithelial cells, the amount of granulation tissue and may reduce the synthesis of inflammatory mediators [2][3][4][5] . Its action can be observed on the reduction of the area of skin wounds in humans and animals, although the adoption of physical variables involved in the treatments is still not a consensus among authors [6][7][8][9] .…”