Laser-Based Therapy Could Help Treat Thrombocytopenia

Low-level laser (LLL) therapy increases the generation of platelets from megakaryocyte precursor cells, according to a new study.

Researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; Boston, MA, USA) conducted a study in mice with acute thrombocytopenia, triggered by γ-irradiation. When the mice were exposed to noninvasive, whole-body illumination with a special LLL in the near-infrared (NIR) range, they found that it induced the generation of platelets from megakaryocytes in bone marrow in three different models of thrombocytopenia. The mice healed within two weeks, as opposed to the five-week recovery time required in controls.


LLL treatment increased megakaryocyte size, accelerated the formation of proplatelets, and doubled the production of platelets. LLL also greatly accelerated platelet regeneration in the presence of an anti-CD41 antibody that binds and depletes platelets, and also prevented the severe drop in platelet count caused by chemotherapy. According to the researchers, LLL encourages mitochondrial biogenesis specifically in megakaryocytes owing to the polyploidy of the cells, and also protected them from mitochondrial injury and apoptosis under stress. The study was published on July 27, 2016, in Science Translational Medicine.

“Our study reveals for the first time that low-level laser therapy enhances platelet production in animals with thrombocytopenia, but not in normal controls,” concluded senior author Mei X. Wu, PhD, of the MGH Wellman Center for Photomedicine, and colleagues. “This safe, drug-free, donor-independent modality represents a paradigm shift in the prophylaxis and treatment of thrombocytopenia.”

Thrombocytopenia is a reduction in the platelet count below the normal lower limit, which is usually defined as 150 x 109/L. This can have a variety of causes, including a reduction in platelet production, a reduction in platelet survival, and genetic factors. It is usually treated with blood transfusions. Age, comorbidity, the need for anticoagulation, risk of trauma, and any need for surgery should be taken into consideration when managing people with thrombocytopenia.

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