title: Induction of autologous mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow by low-level laser therapy has profound beneficial effects on the infarcted rat heart.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The adult mammalian heart is known to have a very limited regenerative capacity following acute ischemia. In this study we investigated the hypothesis that photobiostimulation of autologous bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by low-level laser therapy (LLLT) applied to the bone marrow (BM), may migrate to the infarcted area and thus attenuate the scarring processes following myocardial infarction (MI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats underwent experimental MI. LLLT (Ga-Al-As diode laser, power density 10 mW/cm², for 100 seconds) was then applied to the BM of the exposed tibia at different time intervals post-MI (20 minutes and 4 hours). Sham-operated infarcted rats served as control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infarct size and ventricular dilatation were significantly reduced (76% and 75%, respectively) in the laser-treated rats 20 minutes post-MI as compared to the control-non-treated rats at 3 weeks post-MI. There was also a significant 25-fold increase in cell density of c-kit+ cells in the infarcted area of the laser-treated rats (20 minutes post-MI) as compared to the non-laser-treated controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of LLLT to autologous BM of rats post-MI offers a novel approach to induce BM-derived MSCs, which are consequently recruited from the circulation to the infarcted heart and markedly attenuate the scarring process post-MI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tuby
authors.forename: Lidya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maltz
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Oron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000528:radiation effects*; D054023:Lasers, Semiconductor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013977:Tibia / Q000473:pathology