ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy on the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and tissue repair in an experimental model of collagenase-induced Achilles tendinitis. Thirty Wistar rats (aged 12 weeks) were randomly distributed among control group (n = 8), tendinitis group (n = 11), and LED group (n = 11). Tendinitis was induced in the tendinitis and LED groups through a peritendinous injection of collagenase (100 µl). The LED group animals received the first irradiation 1 h after injury. A 630 ± 20 nm, 300-mW continuous wave light-emitting diode (LED), spot size 1 cm2, was placed in contact with the skin. One point over the tendon was irradiated for 30 s, delivering 9 J (9 J/cm2). LED irradiation was performed once daily for 7 days, with the total energy delivered being 63 J. The tendons were surgically removed and expression of the HSP70 protein was calculated using semi-quantitative analyses of immunohistochemistry (HSCORE). Number of fibroblasts and amount of collagen were measured using histological and histochemical analyses. An increase in the mean HSCORE for HSP70, in the number of fibroblasts, and in the amount of collagen were found in the LED group compared with those in the tendinitis and control group (P ≤ 0.05). PBM therapy increased the expression of the HSP70, number of fibroblasts, and amount of collagen in the acute Achilles tendinitis in rats.