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Light-emitting diode phototherapy: pain relief and underlying mechanisms

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Abstract

Pain is a common symptom of an illness. For decades, pain treatments such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, and surgical nerve blocking have been widely used, but each method has its limitations. Photobiomodulation is a recently developed method for pain management, with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) being a more recent development used in pain management because of their low cost, low side effects, and high safety. Here, we reviewed the phototherapeutic effects of LEDs on different pain conditions. We also discussed possible physicochemical and neurobiological mechanisms underlying LED therapy, especially its effects on inflammatory pain.

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Abbreviations

CCO:

Cytochrome c oxidase

COX:

Cyclooxygenase

DRG:

Dorsal root ganglion

IL:

Interleukin

LEDT:

Light-emitting diode therapy

NO:

Nitric oxide

PBMT:

Photobiomodulation

PGE2:

Prostaglandin E2

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFB0403803), the Innovative Research Team of High-level Local Universities in Shanghai, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81971056, 31600852, 81771202, 81873101), and the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (No.2018SHZDZX01).

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  1. Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical SciencesFudan Institutes of Integrative MedicineState Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Wen-Wen Zhang, Xin-Yue Wang, Yu-Xia Chu & Yan-Qing Wang

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Acupuncture Mechanism and Acupoints, Shanghai, China

    Yan-Qing Wang

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  1. Wen-Wen Zhang
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  2. Xin-Yue Wang
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W.W.Z. and X.Y.W collected the title-related materials and drafted the review. Y.Q.W. and Y.X.C. revised and finalized the submitted manuscript. W.W.Z. and X.Y.W contributed equally to this article.

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Correspondence to Yu-Xia Chu or Yan-Qing Wang.

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Zhang, WW., Wang, XY., Chu, YX. et al. Light-emitting diode phototherapy: pain relief and underlying mechanisms. Lasers Med Sci 37, 2343–2352 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-022-03540-0

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