Improvement of the healing process in superficial skin wounds after treatment with EMOLED

Year: 2014

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. The illumination is provided by a high power blue LED. Blue light is selectively absorbed by haemoglobin and converted into heat through a photothermal effect. In this study, 10 Sprague Dawley rats were mechanically abraded in four regions of their back: two regions were used as a control and the other two were treated with EMOLED. The photothermal effect was monitored by an infrared thermocamera in order to avoid accidental thermal damage. Visual observations, histopathological analysis and non-linear microscopic imaging performed after 8 days from the treatment showed no adverse reactions and no thermal damage in both treated areas and surrounding tissues. Moreover, a faster healing process and a better-recovered morphology was evidenced in the treated tissue with respect to the untreated tissue. Compared to the control regions, a reduced inflammatory response, a higher collagen content, and a skin morphology more similar to normal skin were observed in the treated regions. Collagen organization in the two regions was characterized using image pattern analysis algorithms on SHG images, 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 Europe 2014
Place: Bruxelles, Belgium

More Information: The authors wish to thank Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze (grant n. 3681), the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013, grant agreement FP7-SME-2008-1-232397), and the Italian Ministry for Education, University and Research in the framework of the Flagship Project NANOMAX for supporting the experimental study. Part of this work was performed in the frame of the Proof of Concept Studies for the ESFRI research infrastructure project Euro-BioImaging at the PCS facility LENS.
KeyWords: Coagulation; Collagen; Health care; Morphology; Photonics; Recovery; Tissue, Blue LEDs; Collagen organizations; Histopathological analysis; Inflammatory response; photocoagulation; Photothermal effects; Sprague-Dawley rats; Wound healing, Light emitting diodes
DOI: 10.1117/12.2052188