Photobiomodulation Therapy Restores IL-10 Secretion in a Murine Model of Chronic Asthma: Relevance to the Population of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Cells in Lung

It is largely known that photobiomodulation (PBM) has beneficial effects on allergic pulmonary inflammation. Our previous study showed an anti-inflammatory effect of the PBM in an acute experimental model of asthma, and we see that this mechanism is partly dependent on IL-10. However, it remains unclear whether the activation of regulatory T cells is mediated by PBM in a chronic experimental model of asthma. In this sense, the objective of this study was to verify the anti-inflammatory role of the PBM in the pulmonary inflammatory response in a chronic experimental asthma model. The protocol used for asthma induction was the administration of OVA subcutaneously (days 0 and 14) and intranasally (3 times/week, for 5 weeks). On day 50, the animals were sacrificed for the evaluation of the different parameters. The PBM used was the diode, with a wavelength of 660 nm, a power of 100 mW, and 5 J for 50 s/point, in three different application points. Our results showed that PBM decreases macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Moreover, PBM decreased the release of cytokines by the lung, mucus, and collagen in the airways and pulmonary mechanics. When we analyzed the percentage of Treg cells in the group irradiated with laser, we verified an increase in these cells, as well as the release of IL-10 in the BALF. Therefore, we conclude that the use of PBM therapy in chronic airway inflammation attenuated the inflammatory process, as well as the pulmonary functional and structural parameters, probably due to an increase in Treg cells.

Low radiation dose to treat pneumonia and other inflammations

Infection, the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and viruses, causes reactive inflammation mediated by endogenous signals, with influx of leucocytes with distinct properties and capable of mounting a cellular or antibody response. Different forms of inflammation may also occur in response to tumours, in allergy and autoimmune disorders. Pneumonia, respiratory tract infection and septic shock for instance can arise as serious complications of the Covid-19 virus. While radiotherapy has been most widely used to control malignant tumours, it has also been used for treatment of non-malignant diseases, including acute and chronic inflammation in situations where anti-inflammatory drugs may be ineffective or contraindicated. The present review examines the history and prospects for low-dose anti-inflammatory radiation treatments, the present interest largely being motivated by the increased incidence of pulmonary disease associated Covid-19 infections. Evidence in support of the suggested efficacy are covered, together with an appraisal of one of the number of potential convenient sources that could complement external beam arrangements.

Transcutaneous systemic photobiomodulation reduced lung inflammation in experimental model of asthma by altering the mast cell degranulation and interleukin 10 level

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent and reversible episodes of wheezing, dyspnea, chest stiffness, and cough. Its treatment includes several drugs, high cost, and considerable side effects. Photobiomodulation (PBM) emerges as an alternative treatment, showing good results, and it can be applied locally or systemically. Here, we aim to evaluate the effect of transcutaneous systemic photobiomodulation (TSPBM) by red diode light. Therefore, adult rats were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) plus alum for induction of asthma and irradiated or not with TSPBM in the caudal vein (wavelength 660 ± 10 nm; total radiant emission 15 J; area 2.8 cm²; energy density 5.35 J/cm²; irradiance 33.3 mW/cm²; exposure time 150 s). Our investigations prioritized the cell migration into the alveolar space and lung, tracheal responsiveness, release and gene expression of cytokines, mast cell degranulation, and anaphylactic antibodies. Our results showed that TSPBM reduced the cell migration and mast cell degranulation without altering the tracheal responsiveness and ovalbumin antibody titers. Indeed, TSPBM increased the levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the BAL fluid without altering the gene expression of cytokines in the lung tissue. Thus, this study showed that transcutaneous systemic irradiation reduced lung inflammation by altering mast cells degranulation and IL-10 level. Considering that this study is a pioneer in the used of light by the systemic route to treat asthma, the data are interesting and instigate future investigations, mainly in relation to the mechanisms involved and in dosimetry.

The chemokines secretion and the oxidative stress are targets of low-level laser therapy in allergic lung inflammation

Recent studies show that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has an important anti-inflammatory action in acute lung inflammation. The present work explored if laser therapy is able to antagonize eosinophils and allergic inflammation induced by oxidative stress in Balb/c mice. Forty-eight hours after challenge, the leukocyte counting, ROS and nitrite/nitrate level, RANTES, CCL3, CCL8 as well as eotaxins were measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of laser-treated mice or not. Into the lung, some chemokines receptors, the iNOS activity and mRNA expression, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, gluthatione, NADPH oxidase activities and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (T-Bars) were measured. Laser-treated allergic mice presented reduction of both the ICAM-1 and eosinophil in the lungs. RANTES, CCL8, CCL3 and eotaxins were reduced in BALF of laser-treated allergic mice. In allergic mice lung LLLT decreased the CCR1 and CCR3 and restored the oxidative stress balance as well. Laser decreased the lipidic peroxidation in allergic mice lung as much as increased SOD, GPx and GR. It shows that LLLT on allergic lung inflammation involves leukocyte-attractant chemokines and endogenous antioxidant. Based on results, LLLT may ultimately become a non- invasive option in allergic lung disease treatment. The top figure illustrates the laser decreasing the eosinophils migration into BALF and the bottom figure shows the laser upregulating the expression of heme-oxygenase (anti-oxidant enzyme) in lung tissue anti-oxidant.

[Morphometry and electrophoretic mobility of red blood cells from patients with asthma in the intravenous blood laser irradiation]

The morphometry and electrophoretic mobility of red blood cells from patients with infection-dependent asthma were comparatively studied prior to and following treatment. The patients who had underwent intravenous laser irradiation of blood (ILIB) in addition to conventional therapy had better morphofunctional parameters of red blood cells, by restoring their normal forms, decreasing their transitional ones, and increasing their electrophoretic mobility to normal values. Those who received traditional drug therapy showed no considerable morphofunctional changes of erythrocytes. Thus, in asthmatic patients, the changes in the morphology and function of red blood cells may suggest their membranous structural changes for whose correction ILIB should used.

Suppression of the asthmatic phenotype by ultraviolet B-induced, antigen-specific regulatory cells

BACKGROUND

Over recent decades, there has been a significant global increase in the prevalence of asthma, an inflammatory disease of the respiratory system. While ultraviolet radiation (UV) has been used successfully in the treatment of inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis, studies of UV-induced regulation of allergic respiratory responses have been rare, and have not analysed in vivo measurements of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) or the antigen specificity of the UV-induced effects.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the regulatory properties of erythemal ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation of the skin and the induction of allergen-induced airway immunity in a murine asthma model, and to examine the mechanisms involved.

METHODS

BALB/c mice were exposed to a single erythemal dose of UV 3 days before intraperitonial sensitization (day 0) and boost (day 14) with the antigen, ovalbumin (OVA). Airway-associated, asthma-like responses to aerosolized OVA at day 21 were analysed including (a) AHR measured in vivo, (b) OVA-specific proliferative responses and cytokine production by cells from the lung-draining lymph nodes (LDLN), and (c) inflammatory cells and cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. To determine UVB-induced mechanisms of regulation, LDLN cells from UVB irradiated, OVA-sensitized mice were adoptively transferred into naïve BALB/c mice that were subsequently sensitized and challenged with OVA, or a non-specific antigen.

RESULTS

UVB irradiation of skin significantly suppressed AHR to methacholine and OVA-specific responses in the LDLN and in the lung compartment. Reduced OVA-specific responses by LDLN cells from both UVB irradiated mice and mice that received 5 x 10(6) LDLN cells from UVB irradiated, but not from non-irradiated, OVA-sensitized mice suggested that UVB-induced regulatory cells are responsible for many of the asthma-reducing effects of dorsal UVB exposure.

CONCLUSION

UVB irradiation of skin suppresses AHR and cellular responses of the airways to respiratory allergens. Further, this study implicates UVB or its downstream mediators as a potential approach to reducing the severity of asthma.

[Optimal therapy of children with bronchial asthma at Pyatigorsk spa]

The study of efficacy of bronchial asthma children's rehabilitation at Pyatigorsk spa with different schemes of treatment has shown that combined treatment with dry air-radon baths and halotherapy is more effective than each of these modalities alone.

[Efficiency of a combination of haloaerosols and helium-neon laser in the multimodality treatment of patients with bronchial asthma]

A hundred and thirty-eight patients with infection-dependent bronchial asthma, including 73 with moderate persistent asthma and 65 with severe persistent one, were examined. Four modes of a combination of traditional (drug) therapy (DT) and untraditional (halotherapy (HT) and endobronchial helium-neon laser irradiation (ELI) one were used. The efficiency of the treatment performed was evaluated, by determining the time course of clinical symptoms of the disease on the basis of scores of their magnitude and the patients' condition. The findings indicated that in moderate persistent asthma, both HT and ELI in combination with DT exerted an equal therapeutic effect, which provided a good and excellent condition in 83.3% of cases. In severe persistent asthma, such a condition was achieved in 93.75% of cases only when multimodality treatment involving DT, HT, and ELI had been performed.

[Intravascular laser irradiation of blood in the treatment of patients with bronchial asthma]

AIM

To investigate action of intravascular laser blood irradiation (ILBI) on production of active oxygen forms (AOF) in patients with bronchial asthma (BA).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The trial included 59 BA patients aged 20 to 60 years (mean age 40.2 +/- 3.1 years). AOF generation in whole blood was registered with luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL). Basic therapy was given to 42 patients. ILBI was added to basic therapy in 17 patients.

RESULT

. CL of whole blood in BA patients depended on severity of inflammation. BA patients with intensive CL exposed to ILBI retained free radical oxidation defects and the disease symptoms. In low intensity of blood CL, ILBI activated A OF generation and raised treatment effectiveness.

CONCLUSION

ILBI raises AOF production in the whole blood of BA patients. CL registration can be used for validation of ILBI administration in BA patients and control of effectiveness of laser therapy.

[Low-intensity laser radiation in therapy of bronchial asthma]

Efficacy of low-intensity laser radiation (LR) was studied by changes in a histamine level in peripheral blood and external respiration function (ERF). A total of 228 patients with exogenic bronchial asthma (EBA) were divided into two groups: 167 patients with nonhormone dependent asthma (group 1) and 61 patients with hormone-dependent bronchial asthma (group 2). Low-intensity LR lowered a histamine level and improved ERF in both group 1 and 2. A definite negative correlation was found between histamine content and ERF parameters. Laser therapy alone is effective in mild EBA. For moderate and severe EBA and hormone-dependent bronchial asthma a combination of conventional drug therapy with low-intensity LR is recommended.

[Efficacy of noninvasive hemolaserotherapy in patients with bronchial asthma and concomitant rhinosinusitis]

AIM

To study efficacy of low-intensive infrared laser radiation impact on the tympanic membrane in patients with bronchial asthma (BA) and concomitant rhinosinusitis (RS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

78 patients with moderate BA of a mixed type and concomitant chronic RS were divided into 3 groups: group 1 patients received medication plus infrared laser radiation of the tympanic membrane and paranasal sinuses; group 2 patients were exposed to supravenous laser radiation (0.63 mcm); group 3 received pharmacotherapy alone. The effect of the treatment was assessed by spirometry, peakflowmetry and paranasal sinuses findings.

RESULTS

The highest response was achieved in group 1 which manifested with positive changes in clinical, device and spirometric data on BA and x-ray data on RS courses. The least effective treatment was observed in group 3.

CONCLUSION

Use of infrared laser radiation of the tympanic membrane and paranasal sinuses projection in the treatment of BA patients with RS is effective, nontoxic and easy to use both in hospitals and outpatient departments.

[Low power laser biostimulation in the treatment of bronchial asthma]

INTRODUCTION

Modern concept of acupuncture is based on the fact there are designated locations on the surface of human body, which are related to integrative systems of an organism by means of sensory nerves, correlating and synchronizing organ functioning, depending on external and internal conditions, by means of nervous and neurohumoral regulation of metabolic and regenerative processes, including also mobilisation of immunological, protective and antistress reactions. Apart from standard needle acupuncture, other methods of stimulating acupuncture points are also applied. Due to invention of low power lasers, irradiation laser acupuncture has been introduced into routine medical practice, characterised by painless and aseptic technique and outstanding clinical results.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The investigation was aimed at defining therapeutic effects of low power laser irradiation by stimulating acupuncture points or local treatment of asthma. A prospective analysis included 50 patients treated at the Institute of Pulmonary Diseases in Sremska Kamenica during 2000, 2001 and 2002. Together with conservative treatment of present disease, these patients were treated with laser stimulation of acupuncture points in duration of ten days. During treatment changes of functional respiratory parameters were recorded. Results were compared with those in the control group. The control group consisted of the same number of patients and differed from the examination group only by not using laser stimulation.

RESULTS

Patients with bronchial asthma presented with significant improvement (p < 0000,5) of all estimated lung function parameters just 30 minutes after laser stimulation. Improvements achieved on the third and the tenth day of treatment were significantly higher (p < 0.001 to p < 0.00005) in the examination group in comparison with the control group. Further investigation confirmed that improvement of measured lung function parameters was significantly higher in younger patients, in patients whose disease lasted shorter, as well as in women. Patients with asthma, who were treated every three months for a one year period, presented with significantly lower frequency and intensity of attacks.

DISCUSSION

The mechanism of laser stimulation activity in treatment of bronchial asthma is explained in detail, correlating our results to those obtained by other authors.

CONCLUSIONS

A ten-day course of low-power laser stimulation of acupuncture points in patients with bronchial asthma improves both the lung function and gas exchange parameters. Positive effects of laser treatment in patients with bronchial asthma are achieved in a short time and they last long, for several weeks, even months. Successive laser stimulation in asthmatics prolongs periods of remission and decreases the severity of asthmatic attacks. Better positive effects of laser stimulation are achieved in younger asthmatics, in those with shorter disease history and in female patients. There is a negative correlation between effects of laser stimulation and patients' age and disease history. However, these characteristics do not affect response rate and speed but positive laser stimulation effects are achieved in a shorter period in female asthmatics.

[Effects of laser therapy on lipids and antioxidants in blood of patients with bronchial asthma]

Laser therapy was assessed for effects on lipoperoxides and free radical catchers in blood lipids of patients with bronchial asthma (BA). When a group of 52 BA patients was compared to healthy donors by dienic conjugates, vitamin E and overall lipid-soluble antioxidants levels in the whole blood and plasma, these appeared higher in the asthmatics. Combination of laser therapy with conventional treatment returned these parameters close to normal.

Estimates of numbers of civilians treated with nasopharyngeal radium irradiation in the United States

Nasopharyngeal radium irradiation was used 35 to 50 years ago for treatment of hearing loss, chronic ear infections, asthma, and other conditions. I reviewed the medical literature for published articles on the nonmilitary use of nasopharyngeal radium irradiation. Four years have minimum documented numbers of radium applicators in use (1946, 600; 1948, 1000; 1958, 2000; 1961, 2000). Two levels of physician use were assumed, a high estimate of 25 patients per week and a low estimate of 5 patients per week. It was assumed that physicians used the applicators 50 weeks per year. Typical treatments involved two applicators at a time (one for each nostril) for three sessions. Using a formula reflecting the number of applicators in use, the number of patients a physician would treat in a week, the number of weeks in a year an applicator would be used, and the number of applicators and sessions per patient, I then estimated the number of children who might have been treated. This estimate is that approximately 500,000 to 2.5 million persons might have been treated with nasopharyngeal radium. Because the lack of documentation for numerous parts of the equation required that I make a large number of assumptions, this estimate should be considered a rough approximation of the number of civilians treated.

[The effect of low-energy laser radiation in the infrared spectrum on bronchial patency in children with bronchial asthma]

Pulsed and continuous-wave low-energy infrared laser radiations were compared for effects on bronchial patency in 139 children with bronchial asthma aged 4-15 years. The pulsed regimen improved patency of the main bronchi in atopic asthma attacks and after them, while continuous-wave regimen improved patency of the peripheral bronchi in bacterial asthma in attack-free period.

[Effects of laser therapy on immunity in patients with bronchial asthma and pulmonary tuberculosis]

In bronchial asthma alone and combined with active pulmonary tuberculosis there are marked shifts in immune system (diminished mature T-cell and suppressor subpopulation of T-lymphocytes) resulting in disordered immunoregulatory subpopulation relationships. Also, B-system immunity responded with hyperfunctional activity (increased count of B-lymphocytes and polyclonal gammaglobulinemia). As conventional methods fail to normalize the shifts, an adjuvant laser immunocorrection was tried. Laser radiation displayed a good immunocorrecting action and therefore is recommended for patients with bronchial asthma and associated diseases.

[Correction of the changes in liver function of patients with chronic obstructive lung diseases]

Treated were 167 patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis and bronchial asthma of allergic genesis. Age of the patients--from 18 to 69 years. Traditional drug treatment was supplemented by local liver radiation treatment in the centimeter range. Inclusion of this treatment proved highly effective.