Molecular Basis for Photobiomodulation: Light-Induced Nitric Oxide Synthesis by Cytochrome c Oxidase in Low-Level Laser Therapy

As discussed elsewhere in this book, Low-intensity light in the

visible and near-infrared (NIR) region has beneficial therapeutic

effects. Light in this region of the spectrum lacks the carcinogenic

and mutagenic properties of ultraviolet light and is capable of

penetrating biological tissue and bone. Moreover, wavelengths in the

NIR region are especially effective at penetrating the skull and dense

muscle tissue [27]. This property was recognized in the classical

studies of Jobsis (1977) and subsequently used by Chance et al. [17,

18, 62] in the development of NIR imaging for the noninvasive study

of muscle and brain oxygenation and oxidative metabolism [27, 28].