title: Low-level laser therapy with 810 nm wavelength improves skin wound healing in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of present study was to evaluate whether low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can reverse the impaired wound healing process in diabetic rats.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Impaired wound healing in diabetic patients represents a major health problem. Recent studies have indicated that LLLT may improve wound healing in diabetic rats, but the optimal treatment parameters are still unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=21) were randomly divided into three groups: a healthy control group, a diabetic sham-treated group, and a diabetic LLLT-treated group. Diabetes mellitus was then induced by streptozotocin administration to the two diabetic groups. One 4 cm long full thickness skin incision and one full thickness circular excision (diameter=4 mm) were performed on the back of each rat. An infrared 810 nm laser with an output of 30 mW, a power density of 30 mW/cm(2), and a spot size of 1 cm(2) was used to irradiate each wound for 30 sec (daily dose of 0.9 J/cm(2)/wound/day).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In diabetic rats, the histology of LLLT-treated excisions revealed a similar healing response to that in nondiabetic controls, with significantly more mature granulation tissue than in the sham-treated diabetic control group. LLLT reduced the loss of tensile strength, and increased the incision wound stiffness significantly compared with sham-irradiated rats, but this did not achieve the same level as in the nondiabetic controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrates that infrared LLLT can improve wound healing in diabetic rats. Nevertheless, further research needs to be performed to evaluate the exact underlying mechanism and to further optimize LLLT parameters for clinical use.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pathological Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy , Košice, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Ludmila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dancáková
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vasilenko
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kováč
authors.forename: Katarína
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jakubčová
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hollý
authors.forename: Viera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Revajová
authors.forename: František
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sabol
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tomori
authors.forename: Marjolein
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iversen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gál
authors.forename: Jan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bjordal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications*; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000528:radiation effects; D013311:Streptozocin; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D013311:Streptozocin