We have investigated biological effects of low power He-Ne laser on articular tissues from the following three aspects.
1. In vitro laser-treated cartilage: Marked enlargement of Golgi apparatus in chondrocytes was observed electronmicroscopically, indicating acceleration of cellular metabolism.
2. Normal osteoblasts in culture: Laser irradiation accelerated proliferation of cultured osteoblasts only in the sparse state.
3. RA synovial cells in culture: DNA synthesis of cultured RA synovial cells was inhibited by laser irradiation.
These results suggest that low power laser irradiation inhibits aberrant synovial proliferation of RA, and could promote bone and cartilage regeneration.
