Photobiomodulation Regulation as One Promising Therapeutic Approach for Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction refers to myocardial necrosis caused by acute or persistent coronary ischemia and hypoxia. It is considered to be one of the significant crises threatening human health in the world. Following myocardial infarction, collagen gradually replaces the original tissue due to the loss of many cardiomyocytes, myocardial contractile function decreases, and myocardial fibrosis eventually leads to heart failure. Phototherapy is a new treatment which has shown superior efficacy on the nerve, skeletal muscle, skin, and other tissues. Likewise, there is growing evidence that phototherapy also has many positive effects on the heart. Therefore, this article introduces the progress of research on phototherapy as a new therapeutic strategy in the treatment of myocardial infarction. The wavelength of photobiomodulation in the treatment of myocardial infarction is specific, and the influence of light source power and light duration on the tissue presents a bell-shaped distribution. Under these conditions, phototherapy can promote ATP synthesis and angiogenesis, inhibit the inflammatory response, improve heart function, reduce infarct size, and protect myocardium. In addition, we summarized the molecular mechanisms of phototherapy. According to the location of photoreceptors, they can be divided into mitochondrial and nonmitochondrial parts.