 The next generation of Laser Therapy! |
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Laserlight Meets Mitochondria
Mitochondrion - about 0.7 micrometers in length Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is used to bring pain relief and healing to various tissues of the body. Coherent visible light and near-IR in the spectral range of 530-970 nm from a variable power laser bathes cellular tissues up to several centimeters deep. The critical event that initiates much of the benefit of laser therapy is when laser light sweeps into the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the cellular organelles that house the biochemical machinery that produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency for the entire body. The electron photomicrograph pictured here is a mitochondrion, about 0.7 micrometers in length. In a mitochondrion's electron transport chain there are four enzymatic stages in the formation of ATP. In the final stage, laser photons strike photoreceptive chromophores in cytochrome c oxidase causing excitation of an electron from its ground state into an excited state. We might expect that cytochrome would be the photosensitive agent in the mitochondria from it's name: cyto meaning cell, and chroma referring to the spectra of color. This photosignal transduction and amplification chain converts molecular oxygen to two molecules of water, establishing a chemiosmotic potential that ATP synthase uses to synthesize ATP. The laser photon stream thereby generates a proton gradient across the mitochondrial membrane, increasing ATP synthesis. Through laser irradiation of the cytochrome c oxidase chromophores, oxidative metabolism is increased, driving ATP production necessary for accelerated tissue repair, reduction of inflammation and subsequent pain relief. It is remarkable how similar this process is to sunlight in the same spectral range, stimulating photosynthesis in chlorophyll. Visible light photons absorbed by the chloroplast stroma (analogous to cytochrome chromaphore) causes the liberation of an electron, initiating the electron transport chain. This proton gradient is used by ATP synthase in the synthesis of energetic adenosine tri-phosphate. In this way we see the same universal life-giving process of coherent light applied by the photobiomodulation laser to deep tissues bringing healing, cellular regeneration and relief from pain. Mitochondrial Electron Transport Chain 
This schematic of a mitochondrion illustrates the four enzymatic stages of oxidative phosphorolation in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Also shown is the relationship of the electron transport mechanism to the Krebs Cycle. Note as well, the illustration of the proton gradient across the mitochondrial membrane that is increased by laser stimulation. The arrow indicates the site of photoreceptive cytochrome c oxidase where laser light excites electron states that drive increased ATP production. Reference:
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