ArticleThe journal of pain2023
Green Light Exposure Elicits Anti-inflammation, Endogenous Opioid Release and Dampens Synaptic Potentiation to Relieve Post-surgical Pain.
Article in The journal of pain, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of visible light for seasonal affective disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Green light exposure reduces central sensitization in cats with osteoarthritis-associated somatosensory impairment.iScience · 2026Article
- Green Light Therapy for Pain and Pain-Related Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Human Studies.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Ambient green light reduces knee pain in osteoarthritis patients.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2026Article
- Mechanisms and clinical application of photobiomodulation in pain therapy: a mini review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Autophagy modulation by hADSCs and green light therapy alleviates inflammation and promotes functional recovery after spinal cord injury.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Article
- Toward the Treatment of Glioblastoma Tumors Using Photoactivated Chemotherapy: In Vitro Evaluation of Efficacy and Safety.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2025Article
- Green Light Exposure Reduces Primary Hyperalgesia and Proinflammatory Cytokines in a Rodent Model of Knee Osteoarthritis: Shedding Light on Sex Differences.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- A Comprehensive Overview of the Neural Mechanisms of Light Therapy.Neuroscience bulletin · 2024Review
- Digital Therapeutics for Improving Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Drugs and Biological Products: Preclinical and Clinical Studies Supporting Development of Drug + Digital Combination Therapies for Chronic Diseases.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Nerve Blocks for Post-Surgical Pain Management: A Narrative Review of Current Research.Journal of pain research · 2024Review
- A prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, multi-center study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a blue light device for the treatment of chronic back pain.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Evaluating the Potential of Green Light Exposure on Nociception-A Mini Review.CNS & neurological disorders drug targets · 2024Review
- Narrow band green light effects on headache, photophobia, sleep, and anxiety among migraine patients: an open-label study conducted online using daily headache diary.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- The disruptive relationship among circadian rhythms, pain, and opioids.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Review
- Wavelength dependence of acute, light-evoked recruitment of brainstem pain-modulating systems in female rats.Neurobiology of pain (Cambridge, Mass.)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Light therapy improves multiple conditions such as seasonal affective disorders, circadian rhythm dysregulations, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known about its potential benefits in pain management. While current pharmacologic methods are effective in many cases, the associated side effects can limit their use. Non-pharmacological methods would minimize drug dependence, facilitating a reduction of the opioid burden. Green light therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing chronic pain in humans and rodents. However, its underlying mechanisms remain incompletely defined. In this study, we demonstrate that green light exposure reduced postsurgical hypersensitivity in rats. Moreover, this therapy potentiated the antinociceptive effects of morphine and ibuprofen on mechanical allodynia in male rats. Importantly, in female rats, GLED potentiated the antinociceptive effects of morphine but did not affect that of ibuprofen. We showed that green light increases endogenous opioid levels while lessening synaptic plasticity and neuroinflammation. Importantly, this study reveals new insights into how light exposure can affect neuroinflammation and plasticity in both genders. Clinical translation of these results could provide patients with improved pain control and decrease opioid consumption. Given the noninvasive nature of green light, this innovative therapy would be readily implementable in hospitals. PERSPECTIVE: This study provides a potential additional therapy to decrease postsurgical pain. Given the safety, availability, and the efficacy of green light therapy, there is a significant potential for advancing the green light therapy to clinical trials and eventual translation to clinical settings.
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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.