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Long-term low-level laser therapy promotes an increase in maximal oxygen uptake and exercise performance in a dose-dependent manner in Wistar rats

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Abstract

The use of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) represents a new intervention modality that has been explored to enhance exercise performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of LLLT (GaAIAs—850 nm) at different doses on VO2max and on exercise performance in rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: “placebo” rats (P-LLLT, n = 10), rats at a dose of 0.315 J per treatment point of LLLT (8.7 J/cm2-LLLT, n = 10), and rats at a dose of 2.205 J per treatment point of LLLT (61.2 J/cm2-LLLT, n = 10). The LLLT was applied bilaterally at the biceps femoris, gluteus, lateral and medial gastrocnemius, iliopsoas, and adductor longus muscles. One spot in each muscle belly was applied, with a sum of 12 spots in each rat, once a day, for 10 days. All animals performed the maximal exercise test (ET) at a metabolic treadmill for rats, with simultaneous gas analysis. The distance covered was measured during ET, before and after the conclusion of the LLLT protocol. The data were compared by a repeated measures two-way ANOVA followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc tests (p < .05). The 61.2 J/cm2-LLLT group increased VO2basal (~40 %), VO2max (~24 %), VCO2max (~17 %), and distance covered (~34 %) after LLLT application on the skeletal muscle. No significant results were found comparing before and after conditions for the studied variables considering P-LLLT and 8.7 J/cm2-LLLT groups. The LLLT promoted in a dose-dependent manner an increase in oxygen consumption uptake and a performance increment of male Wistar rats.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Giuseppe Potrick Stefani, Jadson Pereira Alves, and Jéssica Willing Lima for their technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Experimental Physiology, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Júlia Luiza Perini, Vítor Scotta Hentschke, Anelise Sonza & Pedro Dal Lago

  2. Post-Graduation Program in Health Sciences, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Vítor Scotta Hentschke & Pedro Dal Lago

  3. Post-Graduation Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Anelise Sonza & Pedro Dal Lago

  4. Physical Therapy Department, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Pedro Dal Lago

  5. Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Sarmento Leite, 245, Porto Alegre, RS, 90050-170, Brazil

    Pedro Dal Lago

Authors
  1. Júlia Luiza Perini
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  2. Vítor Scotta Hentschke
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  3. Anelise Sonza
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  4. Pedro Dal Lago
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pedro Dal Lago.

Ethics declarations

The animals were cared for in accordance with the Arouca Brazilian Law (11794/2008) supported by the Decree number 6.899 of 15 July 2009, which defines the composition of the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation, as well the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals developed by the Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences (CIOMS). Moreover, the study methods were in compliance with the Ethics and Research Committee on Animal Use of UFCSPA (protocol 140/13).

Financial support

This study was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), and by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS), Brazil.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Perini, J.L., Scotta Hentschke, V., Sonza, A. et al. Long-term low-level laser therapy promotes an increase in maximal oxygen uptake and exercise performance in a dose-dependent manner in Wistar rats. Lasers Med Sci 31, 241–248 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-015-1849-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-015-1849-8

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