Objective: Far infrared radiation has been widely used in a variety of healthcare institutions and clinical research. Previous studies have shown that far infrared radiation can promote blood circulation and enhance the functioning of the immune system. Many patients receiving peritoneal dialysis have been co-treated with far infrared radiation to reduce the occurrence of inflammation. This study seeks to evaluate the effects of far infrared radiation therapy on inflammation.
Method: We used the lipopolysaccharide-induced peritonitis mouse model to study the effect of far infrared radiation treatment. Sixteen mice were randomly divided into two groups, a far infrared radiation treatment group (n = 8) and a non-far infrared radiation treatment group (n = 8). Collected blood samples were studied by analyzing the RNA level of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the plasma protein levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS).
Results: The administration of far infrared radiation inhibited the RNA levels of interleukin-6 and TNF-α after stimulation by lipopolysaccharide. The far infrared radiation treatment inhibited the endothelial nitric oxide synthase RNA levels at 1 h, but the RNA levels returned close to the baseline level after 2 h. In the control group, the endothelial nitric oxide synthase RNA levels were continuously decreasing. The interleukin-6 concentration in the plasma of the far infrared radiation group showed significant inhibition 30 min after lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The tumor necrosis factor alpha RNA concentration in plasma of the far infrared radiation group was significantly reduced 2 h after lipopolysaccharide stimulation.
Conclusion: Far infrared radiation therapy can inhibit interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha RNA levels of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and recover endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression. These results demonstrate that far infrared radiation therapy might aid in reducing the level of inflammation experienced by patients going through peritoneal dialysis treatment.
Keywords: Peritoneal dialysis; far-infrared radiation; peritonitis.