The Effect of Low-level Laser Therapy and Calendula Officinalis Linn. On Cutaneous Wound Healing in Rats

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy and extract of Calendula officinalis Linn. (calendula), alone or in combination, on cutaneous wound healing in rats. Setting: A university research center.Design: A prospective, interventional, randomized, controlled experimental study. Forty-eight female Wistar rats, aged 3 to 4 months, were divided into 4 groups of 12 animals each. A skin wound was surgically made in the dorsal region of each animal and treated for 21 days with either low-level laser therapy (laser group), calendula extract gel (calendula group), laser therapy combined with calendula extract gel (laser + calendula group) or received no treatment (control group). Data collection was performed immediately after surgery and on postoperative days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21.Main Outcome Measures: Measurement of the wound area was performed by tracing the contour of the wound on a sterile polypropylene film placed over the wound. The drawing was transferred to the Auto Cad software to determine the size of the wound area.Results: No significant differences in wound area size were found among groups up to the postoperative day 6. After 9 days of treatment, the laser group showed a significantly greater reduction in wound area compared to the other groups. Conclusion:Laser therapy alone contributed more to wound healing in rats than the treatment with calendula extract gel alone or combined with laser therapy.