Effects of pulsed infra-red low level-laser irradiation on open skin wound healing of healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by biomechanical evaluation

Diabetes is one of the most common causes of delayed wound healing. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) are one of the therapeutic modalities used for the treatment of wounds. The aim of present study is to evaluate the effect of LLLT in experimentally-induced diabetic rats.Two full thickness skin incisions were made on dorsal regions of each rat. The wounds were randomly divided into laser-treated and placebo. Laser-treated wounds of the healthy (non-diabetic) animals were submitted to a pulsed-infrared 890 nm laser with an 80 Hz frequency and 0.03 J/cm2 for each wound point in the first healthy group and 0.2 J/cm2 in the second healthy group. Laser-treated wounds of the diabetic animals received the same pulsed-infrared laser treatments as the second group for each wound point. On day 15, a sample from each wound was extracted and submitted for tensile strength evaluation. Laser irradiation with 0.03 J/cm2 significantly decreased the maximum load for wound repair in healthy rats (p = 0.015). Laser irradiation with 0.2 J/cm2 significantly increased the maximum load in wounds from the healthy control (p = 0.021) and diabetic (p < 001) groups. Laser treatments with a pulsed infrared laser at 0.2 J/cm2 significantly accelerated wound healing in both healthy and diabetic rats.

► Diabetes is one of the most common causes of delayed wound healing.
► Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is used for the treatment of wounds.
► We studied the effect of a pulsed laser on wound healing in diabetic rats.
► Healthy and diabetic rats were submitted to a laser with an 80 Hz frequency.
► LLLT at 0.2 J/cm2 accelerated wound healing in both healthy and diabetic rats.