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What is the best treatment to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine release in acute skeletal muscle injury induced by trauma in rats: low-level laser therapy, diclofenac, or cryotherapy?

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Abstract

Currently, treatment of muscle injuries represents a challenge in clinical practice. In acute phase, the most employed therapies are cryotherapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In the last years, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has becoming a promising therapeutic agent; however, its effects are not fully known. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of sodium diclofenac (topical application), cryotherapy, and LLLT on pro-inflammatory cytokine levels after a controlled model of muscle injury. For such, we performed a single trauma in tibialis anterior muscle of rats. After 1 h, animals were treated with sodium diclofenac (11.6 mg/g of solution), cryotherapy (20 min), or LLLT (904 nm; superpulsed; 700 Hz; 60 mW mean output power; 1.67 W/cm2; 1, 3, 6 or 9 J; 17, 50, 100 or 150 s). Assessment of interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 (IL-1β and IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels was performed at 6 h after trauma employing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. LLLT with 1 J dose significantly decreased (p < 0.05) IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels compared to non-treated injured group as well as diclofenac and cryotherapy groups. On the other hand, treatment with diclofenac and cryotherapy does not decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine levels compared to the non-treated injured group. Therefore, we can conclude that 904 nm LLLT with 1 J dose has better effects than topical application of diclofenac or cryotherapy in acute inflammatory phase after muscle trauma.

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Acknowledgments

Professors Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior and Lucio Frigo would like to thank FAPESP grant numbers 2010/52404-0 and 2012/06832-5, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Patrícia de Almeida, Paulo de Tarso Camillo de Carvalho, Adriane Aver Vanin, Larissa Aline Santos & Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior

  2. Laboratory of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Shaiane Silva Tomazoni & Rodrigo Álvaro Brandão Lopes-Martins

  3. Biological Sciences and Health Center, Cruzeiro do Sul University, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Lucio Frigo

  4. Postgraduate Program in Biophotonics Applied to Health Sciences, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Paulo de Tarso Camillo de Carvalho, Gianna Móes Albuquerque-Pontes, Rodrigo Labat Marcos, Rodrigo Álvaro Brandão Lopes-Martins & Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior

  5. Sports Medicine Institute, University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil

    Thiago De Marchi & Olga Tairova

  6. Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences and Postgraduate Program in Biophotonics Applied to Health Sciences, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Rua Vergueiro, 235, Postal Code: 01504-001, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior

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  1. Patrícia de Almeida
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  2. Shaiane Silva Tomazoni
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  3. Lucio Frigo
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  4. Paulo de Tarso Camillo de Carvalho
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  5. Adriane Aver Vanin
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  6. Larissa Aline Santos
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  7. Gianna Móes Albuquerque-Pontes
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  8. Thiago De Marchi
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  9. Olga Tairova
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  10. Rodrigo Labat Marcos
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  11. Rodrigo Álvaro Brandão Lopes-Martins
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  12. Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior
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Correspondence to Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior.

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Patrícia de Almeida and Shaiane Silva Tomazoni have equal participation in study development.

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de Almeida, P., Tomazoni, S.S., Frigo, L. et al. What is the best treatment to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine release in acute skeletal muscle injury induced by trauma in rats: low-level laser therapy, diclofenac, or cryotherapy?. Lasers Med Sci 29, 653–658 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-013-1377-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-013-1377-3

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