Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT) in Peripheral Nerve Regeneration: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been investigated because of its intimate relationship with tissue recovery processes, such as on peripheral nerve damage. Based on the wide range of benefits that the PBMT has shown and its clinical relevance, the aim of this research was to carry out a systematic review of the last 10 years, ascertaining the influence of the PBMT in the regeneration of injured peripheral nerves. The search was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE database with the combination of the keywords: low-level laser therapy AND nerve regeneration. Initially, 54 articles were obtained, 26 articles of which were chosen for the study according to the inclusion criteria. In the qualitative aspect, it was observed that PBMT was able to accelerate the process of nerve regeneration, presenting an increase in the number of myelinated fibers and a better lamellar organization of myelin sheath, besides improvement of electrophysiological function, immunoreactivity, high functionality rate, decrease of inflammation, pain, and the facilitation of neural regeneration, release of growth factors, increase of vascular network and collagen. It was concluded that PBMT has beneficial effects on the recovery of nerve lesions, especially when related to a faster regeneration and functional improvement, despite the variety of parameters.

Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT) Applied in Bone Reconstructive Surgery Using Bovine Bone Grafts: A Systematic Review

“…A lack of persistence in the standardization of methodology employed by authors was observed, with instances of absence of important data, such as output power, energy density and application time, a pattern also observed in reviews relating PBMT to other types of lesions (such as nervous) [5]. It is extremely important to highlight the scarcity of publications addressing PBMT.…”

“…It was later verified that this therapy not only stimulated cellular components, but also modulated them, establishing photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT). Further, regenerative medicine has emerged in recent decades to develop adjuvant and assistive means in pathological processes, highlighting PBMT in relation to the anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, healing and stimulating effects of tissue growth factors [2][3][4][5].…”

Photobiomodulation Therapy Associated with Heterologous Fibrin Biopolymer and Bovine Bone Matrix Helps to Reconstruct Long Bones

“…This new technology is the current focus of studies of the scientific community for presenting reparative mechanisms of action. However, there is no consensus on its effective parameters, because if parameters are not properly delineated, they do not have beneficial effects on tissue regeneration, making this a current focus of research [19,21,[23][24][25].…”

The Effect of Four Weeks of Low-Level Laser Radiation (660 nm) on Movement Recovery and Fibroblasts Invasion

“…Low-level laser therapy is one of the anti-inflammatory treatments that its usage to treat disease associated with inflammation has increased in recent years (12)(13)(14). Although there is not any complete protocol provided on this topic yet, the conducted researches have indicated that low-level laser is effective in the reduction of post-SCI complications (15)(16)(17).…”