Low-level laser therapy enhances wound healing in diabetic rats: a comparison of different lasers.
OBJECTIVE
The effects of wound healing acceleration on diabetic rats were determined and compared using different laser wavelengths and incident doses.


BACKGROUND
Many studies have demonstrated that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can promote the wound healing on non-diabetic animals.


METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Streptozotocin (70 mg/kg) was applied for diabetes induction. An oval full-thickness skin wound was created aseptically with a scalpel in 51 diabetic rats and six non-diabetic rats on the shaved back of the animals. The study was performed using 532, 633, 810, and 980 nm diode lasers. Incident doses of 5, 10, 20, and 30 J/cm(2) and treatment schedule of 3 times/week were used in the experiments. The area of wound on all rats was measured and plotted on a slope chart. The slope values (mm(2)/day), the percentage of relative wound healing, and the percentage of wound healing acceleration were computed in the study.


RESULTS
Mean slope values were 6.0871 in non-diabetic control and 3.636 in diabetic control rats (p > 0.005). The percentages of wound healing acceleration were 15.23, 18.06, 19.54, and 20.39 with 532-nm laser, 33.53, 38.44, 32.05, and 16.45 with 633-nm laser, 15.72, 14.94, 9.62, and 7.76 with 810-nm laser, and 12.80, 16.32, 13.79, and 7.74 with 980-nm laser, using incident doses of 5, 10, 20, and 30 J/cm(2), respectively. There were significant differences (p > 0.001) in the mean slope value of wound healing on diabetic rats between control groups and treatment groups in 532, 633, 810, and 980 nm lasers.


CONCLUSIONS
The wound healing on control rats with diabetes was slower than on control rats without diabetes. LLLT at appropriate treatment parameters can enhance the wound healing on diabetic rats. The optimum wavelength was 633 nm, and the optimum incident dose was 10 J/cm(2) in our study.
Al-Watban
Farouk A H
FA
Laser Research Section, Biological and Medical Research Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. watban@kfshrc.edu.sa
Zhang
Xing Yang
XY
Andres
Bernard L
BL
D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000528:radiation effects*