Effects of photobiomodulation on adipocytic infiltration in sites of skin healing: in vivo experimental study

Adipocyte infiltration consists of a temporary increase in the number of adipocytes in the microenvironment of tissue injury. There is already evidence in the literature of adipocytes' participation in promoting the inflammatory response, and parallelly laser photobiomodulation can benefit the tissue repair process. This study aimed to chronologically analyze adipocytic infiltration in the repair of photobiomodulated skin wounds experimentally induced in rats through histomorphometric analysis. The sample consisted of 20 rats divided into 2 groups: control group and group subjected to laser photobiomodulation. The skin portions of the back of rats were processed and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin in 4 mu m thick sections including the surgical wound 5 and 10 days after the proposed treatments. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by capturing images of tissue sections, describing the organizational pattern of adipocytes around the surgical wound and counting individual adipocytes in the connective tissue in formation. Adipocytic infiltration was observed in both experimental groups on the 5th day, with a decrease on the 10th day. The group treated with photobiomodulation presented a greater number of adipocytes compared to the control group, in both periods analyzed. The findings of the present study seem to corroborate the literature, which indicates that adipose cells might stimulate inflammation and repair, and photobiomodulation can enhance these effects, since it aids the process of adipocytic infiltration in the injured area. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.