Blue LED treatment of superficial abrasions
Year: 2013
Authors: Alfieri D., Bacci S., Cicchi R., De Siena G., Lotti V., Pavone F.S., Pini R., Rossi F., Tatini F.
Autors Affiliation: Light4Tech Firenze S.r.L., Via Pisana 316, I-50018 Scandicci (FI), Italy; Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, I-50139, Florence, Italy; National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Largo E. Fermi 6, I-50125, Florence, Italy; European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Via Nello Carrara 1, I-50019, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy; Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, I-50139, Florence, Italy; Institute of Applied Physics Nello Carrara, Italian National Research Council, Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
Abstract: A compact and easy-to-handle photocoagulation device was used for inducing an immediate coagulation effect in skin large superficial abrasions, reducing the recovering time and improving the wound healing process. The handheld illumination device consists of a high power LED, emitting in the blue region of the spectrum, mounted in a suitable and ergonomic case, together with power supply, electronics, and batteries. The working principle of the LED-based photocoagulator is a photothermal effect: the blue light is selectively absorbed by the haemoglobin content of the blood and then converted into heat. Here we present an in vivo study performed on animal models. 10 Sprague Dawley rats (Harlan, Italy, weighing 200-250 g) were used to study the wound healing process. On the back of each rat, four large abrasions were mechanically produced: two of them were used as a control, while the other two were treated with the photocoagulator, keeping it at a constant distance (2 mm) from the target, in continuous slow motion (treatment time: tens of seconds). The induced photothermal effect was monitored by an infrared thermocamera in order to avoid accidental thermal damage and to control the temperature dynamics during treatment. Objective observations, histopathological analysis and non-linear microscopy performed in a 8 days follow-up study showed no adverse reactions and no thermal damage in the treated areas and surrounding tissues. Moreover, a faster healing process and a better recovered morphology was evidenced in the treated tissue.
Conference title: Photonics West – BIOS 2013
Place: San Francisco, US
More Information: The authors wish to thank EuroBioimaging Project, the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze (grant n. 3681), the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/20072013, grant agreements number 228334 and 284464), and the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research in the framework of the Flagship Project NANOMAX for supporting the experimental study.KeyWords: Histopathological analysis; Illumination devices; Nonlinear microscopy; Photocoagulation; Photothermal effects; Temperature dynamics; Wound healing; Wound healing process, Abrasion; Rat control; Thermal effects; Tissue; Tribology, Light emitting diodesDOI: 10.1117/12.2003933Citations: 8data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-11-17References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)