Photobiomodulation in Promoting Cartilage Regeneration

Hang NLT, Aviña AE, Chang CJ, Yang TS · International Journal of Molecular Sciences

A parameter-first review: it collects the wavelength and fluence ranges the field actually uses and sorts outcomes by them, reporting that efficacy depends on both the parameters and the target tissue. Across the studies collected, photobiomodulation reduced inflammation in cartilage defects while promoting cell proliferation, migration and chondrogenic differentiation. Combined with cartilage tissue engineering, it improved scaffold-based repair over scaffolds alone. The authors state the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood, and attribute that to the independent use of different light sources, wavelengths from green and blue through red and near-infrared, and low to high fluences across different targets.

Population

In vitro, in vivo and clinical studies of photobiomodulation for cartilage regeneration, including studies combining it with cartilage tissue engineering

Intervention

Red lasers at 600-660 nm and 0-10 J/cm2, GaAlAs lasers at 800-880 nm and 10-50 J/cm2, and Nd:YAG at 1064 nm up to 200 J/cm2, alone and with scaffolds

Comparator

Untreated or scaffold-only controls, varying by included study

Limitations

A narrative review with no stated search protocol, no risk-of-bias assessment and no pooling. Its parameter tables mix in vitro, animal and clinical studies together, so a range quoted out of it is not a human dose, and the tissue-engineering evidence it summarises is largely in vitro or animal. Taiwanese Ministry of Education and Taipei Medical University funding; the authors declare no conflicts of interest.