This study, however, is the first to show its effect on lessening some of the damaging effects of heart attacks. Other studies have examined the use of drugs, growth factors and other intervention strategies in reducing myocardial infarct size and improvement of heart function after heart attack. Low-energy laser irradiation however is apparently able to lessen the severity of a heart attack by increasing mitochondrial respiration and ATP, the major source for cellular energy production. The increase of both biological processes improves the cellular response to wounds and promotes healing and muscle regeneration after injury. Mitochondria are rod-like structures found in the cytoplasm, or the substance of the body of the cell where most cell activities occur.
Mitochondria are the center of cellular enzyme activity.
Researchers induced heart attacks in 50 dogs and 26 rats, half of which received direct laser irradiation on the heart muscle after the opening of the chest. In five to six weeks, the animals were euthanized. The size of their infarcts, the areas of tissue death resulting from a lack of oxygen, was studied. The laser treatment significantly lowered mortality from 30 percent to just 6.5 percent in the dogs after the induction of myocardial infarction. Pathologic examinations also revealed that laser treatment after myocardial infarction significantly decreased the size of the scar, or non-contracting tissue.