Trial reportFrontiers in immunology2022
Photobiomodulation Improves Serum Cytokine Response in Mild to Moderate COVID-19: The First Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled, Pilot Study.
Trial report in Frontiers in immunology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Low-level laser therapy in oral surgery: how strong is the evidence for improved postoperative outcomes?Evidence-based dentistry · 2026Pooled it
- Clinical applications and molecular mechanisms for intravenous laser blood irradiation: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation in the management of persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction post-COVID-19: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Comments on "Immunomodulatory effects of photobiomodulation: a comprehensive review.Lasers in medical science · 2025Article
- Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Photobiomodulation Therapy on the Viability, Migration, and Gene Expression of Human Gingival Fibroblasts.Journal of lasers in medical sciences · 2025Article
- Near-Infrared Light Exposure Triggers ROS to Downregulate Inflammatory Cytokines Induced by SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein in Human Cell Culture.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Photobiomodulation: A Potential Non-invasive Method to Alleviate Neurological Events Following COVID-19 Infection.Neuroscience bulletin · 2023Article
- A Novel Approach of Combining Methylene Blue Photodynamic Inactivation, Photobiomodulation and Oral Ingested Methylene Blue in COVID-19 Management: A Pilot Clinical Study with 12-Month Follow-Up.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Because the major event in COVID-19 is the release of pre- and inflammatory cytokines, finding a reliable therapeutic strategy to inhibit this release, help patients manage organ damage and avoid ICU admission or severe disease progression is of paramount importance. Photobiomodulation (PBM), based on numerous studies, may help in this regard, and the present study sought to evaluate the effects of said technology on cytokine reduction. Methods: This study was conducted in the 2nd half of 2021. The current study included 52 mild-to-moderately ill COVID-19, hospitalized patients. They were divided in two groups: a Placebo group and a PBM group, treated with PBM (620-635 nm light Results: During the study period, in PBM group, there was a significant decrease in serum levels of IL-6 (-82.5% +/- 4, P<0.001), IL-8 (-54.4% ± 8, P<0.001), and TNF-α (-82.4% ± 8, P<0.001), although we did not detect a significant change in IL-10 during the study. The IL-6/IL-10 Ratio also improved in PBM group. The Placebo group showed no decrease or even an increase in these parameters. There were no reported complications or sequelae due to PBM therapy throughout the study. Conclusion: The major cytokines in COVID-19 pathophysiology, including IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, responded positively to PBM therapy and opened a new window for inhibiting and managing a cytokine storm within only 3-10 days.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.