Effects of low-power light therapy on wound healing: LASER x LED.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the biological effects of LED light therapy on wound healing and compare its parameters and effects to those of LASER.
Results Summary
LED and LASER promote similar biological effects, including reduced inflammation, increased fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation, and collagen synthesis. The effects depend on irradiation parameters, primarily wavelength and dose.
Population
In vitro and animal studies (68 studies analyzed).
Effective Dosage
Not specified (parameters like wavelength and dose are mentioned but not quantified).
Duration
Not specified.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
low-power light therapy | neutral | wound healing | - | - | demonstrate the benefits | #1 |
LED | decrease | decrease of inflammatory cells | - | - | promote | #2 |
LED | increase | increased fibroblast proliferation | - | - | promote | #3 |
LED | increase | stimulation of angiogenesis | - | - | promote | #4 |
LED | increase | granulation tissue formation | - | - | promote | #5 |
LED | increase | increased synthesis of collagen | - | - | promote | #6 |
LASER | decrease | decrease of inflammatory cells | - | - | promote | #7 |
LASER | increase | increased fibroblast proliferation | - | - | promote | #8 |
LASER | increase | stimulation of angiogenesis | - | - | promote | #9 |
LASER | increase | granulation tissue formation | - | - | promote | #10 |
LASER | increase | increased synthesis of collagen | - | - | promote | #11 |
Several studies demonstrate the benefits of low-power light therapy on wound healing. However, the use of LED as a therapeutic resource remains controversial. There are questions regarding the equality or not of biological effects promoted by LED and LASER. One objective of this review was to determine the biological effects that support the use of LED on wound healing. Another objective was to identify LED´s parameters for the treatment of wounds. The biological effects and parameters of LED will be compared to those of LASER. Literature was obtained from online databases such as Medline, PubMed, Science Direct and Scielo. The search was restricted to studies published in English and Portuguese from 1992 to 2012. Sixty-eight studies in vitro and in animals were analyzed. LED and LASER promote similar biological effects, such as decrease of inflammatory cells, increased fibroblast proliferation, stimulation of angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation and increased synthesis of collagen. The irradiation parameters are also similar between LED and LASER. The biological effects are dependent on irradiation parameters, mainly wavelength and dose. This review elucidates the importance of defining parameters for the use of light devices.