Photobiomodulation CME part I: Overview and mechanism of action.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative CME review of biological mechanisms with no primary human data.
PubMed 38309304 · doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2023.10.073
What was done
This continuing medical education (CME) review outlines the fundamentals, physical parameters (red light at 620–700 nm and near-infrared light at 700–1440 nm), cellular mechanisms of action, and general safety profile of photobiomodulation (PBM).
What was found
The abstract reports no clinical trial outcome numbers. It describes the primary mechanism of action: photon absorption by endogenous chromophores, particularly mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase (COX). Activation of COX modulates adenosine triphosphate (ATP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and intracellular calcium levels, activating downstream cascades such as the insulin-like growth factor and phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathways to drive cellular proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Erythema is identified as the most frequent, self-limiting cutaneous adverse effect.
Why it matters
It provides clinicians with a foundational mechanistic summary of how low-level light therapy exerts biological effects at the mitochondrial and cellular signaling levels.
Limits
This is a non-systematic narrative review providing no primary clinical trial data, comparative efficacy statistics, or quantitative synthesis. Optimal treatment parameters (such as exact fluence and power outputs for specific dermatologic indications) are not detailed in the abstract.