Effects of Low-Level Light Therapy (LLLT) on Oxidative Stress in the Cutaneous Healing Process: A Literature Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Literature review restricted entirely to preclinical animal studies
PubMed 42233112 · doi:10.34172/jlms.2026.02
What was done
Authors searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science through December 2023 to identify experimental animal studies evaluating the effects of low-level light therapy (LLLT/photobiomodulation) on oxidative stress and mitochondrial activity during cutaneous healing. Study quality was evaluated using an adapted PEDro scale, and findings were synthesized through a qualitative descriptive analysis.
What was found
Nine animal studies met inclusion criteria. The abstract reports no numeric values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Qualitatively, all nine studies reported significant modulation of oxidative stress, characterized by reductions in oxidizing markers (superoxide anion) and apoptosis activators (cytochrome c), paired with increases in antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase).
Why it matters
This review collates preclinical evidence outlining a biochemical rationale—namely antioxidant upregulation and reduced apoptotic signaling—for how light therapy may accelerate skin tissue repair.
Limits
The findings are derived entirely from non-human animal models and cannot be directly extrapolated to human clinical wound healing. The abstract provides no quantitative data, light dosing parameters, tissue depth evaluations, or individual study quality scores.
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