Low-level (gallium-aluminum-arsenide) laser irradiation of Par-C10 cells and acinar cells of rat parotid gland.

We investigated cell response, including cell proliferation and expression of heat stress protein and bcl-2, to clarify the influence of low-level [gallium-aluminum-arsenide (Ga-Al-As) diode] laser irradiation on Par-C10 cells derived from the acinar cells of rat parotid glands. Furthermore, we also investigated amylase release and cell death from irradiation in acinar cells from rat parotid glands. The number of Par-C10 cells in the laser-irradiated groups was higher than that in the non-irradiated group at days 5 and 7, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Greater expression of heat shock protein (HSP)25 and bcl-2 was seen on days 1 and 3 in the irradiated group. Assay of the released amylase showed no significant difference statistically between the irradiated group and the non-irradiated group. Trypan blue exclusion assay revealed that there was no difference in the ratio of dead to live cells between the irradiated and the non-irradiated groups. These results suggest that low-level laser irradiation promotes cell proliferation and expression of anti-apoptosis proteins in Par-C10 cells, but it does not significantly affect amylase secretion and does not induce rapid cell death in isolated acinar cells from rat parotid glands.