Impact of low-power red laser light on restenosis following balloon angioplasty

Impact of low power red laser light on restenosis following balloon angioplastyNicholas Kipshidze', Joseph B. Horn2, Harry Sahota3, Ahmet Zulich', Sean Keane1, John E. Baker1,Richard Komorowski1, Victor Nikolaychik4, Michael H. Keelan, Jr.''Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA2Global Therapeutics, Broomfield, CO, USA3Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA, USA4University of Wisconsin Medical School, Milwaukee, WI, USAABSTRACTDespite the widespread application of balloon angioplasty for the treatment of coronary arterydisease, restenosis limits the clinical benefits of the procedure. Restenosis is a complexprocess andmay be partly attributed to the inability of the vascular endothelium to regenerate and cover thedenuded area at the site of arterial injury. We previously demonstrated that lowpower red laser light(LPRLL) (632 nm) stimulates endothelial cell proliferation in vitro and contributes to rapidendothelial regeneration following balloon injury in nonatherosclerotic rabbits. We evaluated thelong term impact of intravascular LPRLL on restenosis in an atherosclerotic rabbit model. Rabbitabdominal aortas (n=24) were subjected to balloon dilatation and balloon dilatation plus laserillumination. Intravascular laser therapy was performed using a 3.0 mm laser-balloon catheter. Allrabbits received a single dose of 10 mW for 3 minutes generated from a He-Ne laser(wavelength 632nm). Angiography was performed before and after treatment, and repeated at 60 days prior toharvesting the aortas. Quantitative angiography, morphometric, and histologic analysis revealed thatLPRLL treatment prevented balloon-induced adverse changes including intimal proliferation. Weconclude that intravascular LPRLL reduces restenosis following balloon angioplasty.Keywords: low power light, biostimulation, coronary artery disease, balloon angioplasty, restenosis.