Evaluation of laser photobiomodulation on healing of bone defects grafted with bovine bone in diabetic rats

Abstract

Previous studies have shown positive effects of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) on the repair of bone defects, but there is a few that associates bone healing in the presence of a metabolic disorder such as Diabetes Mellitus, a systemic disorder associated to impair of the repair of different tissues. The aim of this study was to assess, histologically, the repair of surgical defects created in the femur of diabetic and non-diabetic rats treated or not with LLLT (λ780nm, 70mW, CW, o/∼0.4mm, 16J/cm2 per session) associated or not to the use of a biomaterial. Surgical tibial bone defects were created in 60 animals that were divided into 4 groups: Group B (non-diabetic + biomaterial); Group BL (non-diabetic + biomaterial + LLLT); Group BD (diabetic + biomaterial); Group BDL (diabetic + biomaterial + LLLT). The irradiated group received 16 J/cm2 per session divided into 4 points around the defect, being the first irradiation carried out immediately after surgery and repeated every 48h for 14 days. The animals were killed 15, 21 and 30 days after surgery. The specimens underwent a semi-quantitative analysis. The results showed inflammation more intense in the BD and BDL groups than in the B and BL groups in the period of 15 days (p = 0.02), however the cortical repair in the BDL group was below 25% in more than half of the specimens, while in the BD group, the repair was more than to 25% in all specimens. At 30 days, both osteoblastic activity and collagen deposition were significantly higher in the B group when compared to the BD group (p=0.04). Bone deposition was significantly higher in the BL group (p=0.023) than in BDL group. It is concluded that LLLT has a positive biomodulative effect in the early stages of the healing process of bone defects grafted with biomaterial in diabetic and non-diabetic rats.