Objectives: The clinical and molecular effects of whole-body polarized light treatment on children suffering from recurrent respiratory infection were studied.
Methods: The incidence and duration of respiratory symptoms as well as the length of appropriate antibiotic therapy were measured. Simultaneously, the genome-wide gene expression pattern was examined by whole genome cDNA microarray in peripheral lymphocytes of children.
Results: Twenty of 25 children showed a marked clinical improvement, while in five of 25 had poor response or no changes. The gene expression pattern of the patients' peripheral lymphocytes was compared in favorable and poor responders. The lymphocytes of the children with a documented improved clinical response to polarized light therapy showed a decrease in the expression of chemokine genes, such as CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, and IL-8, and in that of the TNFα gene. On the contrary, a rapid elevation was found in the expression of the gene encoding for CYP4F2, a leukotriene B4-metabolizing enzyme. In children with poor clinical response to polarized light therapy, no similar changes were detected in the gene expression pattern of the lymphocytes.
Conclusions: The improved clinical symptoms and modified gene expression profile of lymphocytes reveals an anti-inflammatory effect of whole-body polarized light irradiation.