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The goal of this study was to analyze the role of cyclo-oxygenase-2 following bone repair in rats submitted to low-level laser therapy. A total of 48 rats underwent surgery to inflict bone defects in their tibias having been randomly distributed into two groups: negative control and laser exposed group, i.e., the animals were treated with low-level laser therapy by means of gallium arsenide laser at 16 J/cm(2). The animals were killed after 48 h, 7 days, 14 days, or 21 days. The tibias were removed for morphological, morphometric, and immunohistochemistry analysis for cyclo-oxygenase-2. Statistical significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the quality of bone repair and quantity of formed bone between groups 14 days after surgery in the laser exposed group. In the same way, cyclo-oxygenase-2 immunoreactivity was more intense in bone cells for intermediate periods evaluated in this group. Taken together, such results suggest that low-level laser therapy is able to improve bone repair in the tibia of rats after 14 days of surgery as a result of an up-regulation for cyclo-oxygenase-2 expression in bone cells.
