Effects of photobiomodulation on inflammatory factors during skeletal muscle regeneration: A systematic review with meta-analysis of animal studies.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies
PubMed 41841483 · doi:10.1111/php.70092
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies across PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science to assess the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) on inflammatory factor expression during skeletal muscle regeneration. Two authors independently extracted data, assessed risk of bias using the SYRCLE tool, and analyzed outcomes across 18 included studies using Review Manager 5.4 with subgroup and sensitivity analyses.
What was found
PBM treatment reduced levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 during skeletal muscle regeneration, specifically in the early post-injury phase (6 and 12 hours). Effects on IL-4 and IL-10 were inconclusive and require higher-quality studies. The abstract reports no exact numerical effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values.
Why it matters
This review aggregates preclinical data indicating that PBM suppresses pro-inflammatory cytokines within an early post-injury window (6–12 hours), providing a mechanistic rationale for targeted timing in future clinical trials.
Limits
Findings are derived entirely from animal models and cannot be directly assumed to replicate in human sports injuries. Abstract provides no numerical effect estimates or measures of between-study heterogeneity, and the authors note that data on anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) remain uncertain.
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