Low-Level Laser Therapy (904 nm) Counteracts Motor Deficit of Mice Hind Limb following Skeletal Muscle Injury Caused by Snakebite-Mimicking Intramuscular Venom Injection

Abstract

Myotoxins present in Bothrops venom disrupt the sarcolemma of muscle fibers leading to the release of sarcoplasmic proteins and loss of muscle homeostasis. Myonecrosis and tissue anoxia induced by vascularization impairment can lead to amputation or motor functional deficit. The objective of this study was to investigate the dynamic behavior of motor function in mice subjected to injection of Bothrops jararacussu venom (Bjssu) and exposed to low-level laser therapy (LLLT). Male Swiss mice received Bjssu injection (830 μg/kg) into the medial portion of the right gastrocnemius muscle. Three hours later the injected region was irradiated with diode semiconductor Gallium Arsenide (GaAs– 904 nm, 4 J/cm²) laser following by irradiation at 24, 48 and 72 hours. Saline injection (0.9% NaCl) was used as control. Gait analysis was performed 24 hours before Bjssu injection and at every period post-Bjssu using CatWalk method. Data from spatiotemporal parameters Stand, Maximum Intensity, Swing, Swing Speed, Stride Length and Step Cycle were considered. The period of 3 hours post venom-induced injury was considered critical for all parameters evaluated in the right hindlimb. Differences (p<0.05) were concentrated in venom and venom + placebo laser groups during the 3 hours post-injury period, in which the values of stand of most animals were null. After this period, the gait characteristics were re-established for all parameters. The venom + laser group kept the values at 3 hours post-Bjssu equal to that at 24 hours before Bjssu injection indicating that the GaAs laser therapy improved spatially and temporally gait parameters at the critical injury period caused by Bjssu. This is the first study to analyze with cutting edge technology the gait functional deficits caused by snake envenoming and gait gains produced by GaAs laser irradiation. In this sense, the study fills a gap on the field of motor function after laser treatment following snake envenoming.

In Vivo Fiber Optic Raman Spectroscopy of Muscle in Preclinical Models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

“…Similarly, we did not observe changes in gait parameters documented by others after muscle injury. 37 , 38 Overall, the lack of effect on motor function suggests that our approach can be incorporated into preclinical studies.…”

Exploring the ability of low-level laser irradiation to reduce myonecrosis and increase Myogenin transcription after Bothrops jararacussu envenomation

“…CCO functions as a photoacceptor and photosignal transducer, being the activation of ATP molecules the final critical signaling role influencing cellular metabolism [27][28][29][30][31]. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) through lowenergy laser irradiation has been used as an effective tool to treat diverse cases of injuries, such as myonecrosis induced by snake venom [32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. However, little is known about the effects of PBMT on the expression of Pax7, MyoD, and MyoG during the muscle regenerative process.…”

Benefits of Sebastiania hispida (Euphorbiaceae) extract and photobiomodulation therapy as potentially adjunctive strategies to be explored against snake envenoming

“…The so great kind of cellular events activated by PBMT stimulated the assessment of its use to neutralizing local effects at the site of snake bitten. In fact, a growing number of experimental studies have lately enlightened the positive effects of PBMT on muscle tissue that were damaged by snake venom [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38].…”