O papel da fotobiomodulação na colite experimental: comparação entre machos e fêmeas

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an important chronic and multifactorial disease characterized by changes in the intestinal colon mucosa. It has a significant impact on quality of life and affects both men and women. Inflammatory responses are responsible for the development of several diseases and are differently modulated by female and male hormones. UC has a difficult treatment with limited responses and side effects, so new therapies are necessary. Photobiomodulation (PBM) appears as a potential treatment modulating the inflammatory process without side effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of PBM on acetic acid-induced UC by comparing responses between males and females. For this, male and female Wistar rats were subjected to UC induction by rectal administration of 10% acetic acid and treated or not with PBM (660 nm, 100 mW, 150s) at three points: right and left side of the ventral surface and in the external anal region. We investigated the disease activity index (DAI score), myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme activity, histological analysis, and cytokines release. Our results showed that PBM reduced disease activity index, MPO activity and mast cell degranulation in both sexes. On the other hand, we observed increased mucus production in both males and females. Furthermore, PBM reduced the histopathological score as well as the levels of IL-6 and IL-4 in the intestine of males. We also showed reduced levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha after PBM in both sexes, while levels of IL-10 and IFN-gamma were increased. In conclusion, although our study identified some differences in the responses between genders, PBM demonstrated a satisfactory reduction in UC biomarkers in both sexes, indicating that it is a possible combined, accessible and non-invasive treatment option.