Improvement of the healing process in superficial skin wounds after treatment with EMOLED
Year: 2015
Authors: Cicchi R., Rossi F., Tatini F., Bacci S., De Siena, G., Alfieri D., Pini R., Pavone FS.
Autors Affiliation: 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, SestoFiorentino, Italy;
Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”, National Research Council, Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Department of Human Anatomy, Histology, and Legal Medicine, Section of Histology, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, I-50139, Florence, Italy; Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, I-50139, Florence, Italy; Light4Tech Firenze S.r.L., Via Pisana 316, I-50018 Scandicci (FI) Italy; Department of Physics, University of Florence, Via Giovanni Sansone 1, I-50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Abstract: A faster healing process was observed in superficial skin wounds after irradiation with the EMOLED photocoagulator. The instrument consists of a compact handheld photocoagulation device, useful for inducing coagulation in superficial abrasions. In this study, living animals were mechanically abraded in four regions of their back: two regions were left untreated, the other two were treated with EMOLED, healthy skin surrounding the wounds was used as a control. The treatment effect on skin was monitored by visual observations, histopathological analysis, immuno-histochemical analysis, and non-linear microscopic imaging performed 8 days after the treatment, finding no adverse reactions and no thermal damage in both treated areas and surrounding tissues. In addition, a faster healing process, a reduced inflammatory response, a higher collagen content, and a better-recovered skin morphology was evidenced in the treated tissue with respect to the untreated tissue. These morphological features were characterized by means of immuno-histochemical analysis, aimed at imaging fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, and by SHG microscopy, aimed at characterizing collagen organization, demonstrating a fully recovered aspect of dermis as well as a faster neocollagenesis in the treated regions. This study demonstrates that the selective photothermal effect we used for inducing immediate coagulation in superficial wounds is associated to a minimal inflammatory response, which provides reduced recovery times and improved healing process.
Conference title: Photonics West – BIOS 2015
Place:
KeyWords: Cell culture; Coagulation; Collagen; Fibroblasts; Recovery, Collagen organizations; Histochemical analysis; Histopathological analysis; Inflammatory response; Morphological features; Photothermal effects; Visual observations; Wound healing, Tissue