In vivo Guinea Pig Model Study for Evaluating Antifungal Effect of a Dual-Diode Laser with Wavelengths of 405 Nm and 635 Nm on Dermatophytosis

Abstract

Background: Various laser-and light-based devices have been introduced as complementary or alternative treatment modalities for dermatophytosis, particularly for finger or toenail onychomycosis.Objective: This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the antifungal effects of 405-nm and 635-nm dual-band diode lasers using an in vivo guinea pig model of dermatophytosis. Materials and Methods: A guinea pig model was developed by the repetitive application of fungal spore preparations to the back skin of guinea pigs. Dual-diode laser treatment was delivered to the guinea pig skin at a power of 24 mW at a wavelength of 405 nm and 18 mW at 635 nm for 12 min. The treatments were administered three times weekly for 2 weeks, and a mycological study was performed. Results: Mycological studies using scraped samples obtained from treatment groups A (N = 8) and B (N = 8) after dual-diode laser treatment revealed that seven of eight (87.5%) samples in each group had negative results for direct potassium hydroxide microscopy and fungal culture studies. Skin specimens from each infected laser-untreated guinea pig exhibited spongiotic psoriasiform epidermis with parakeratosis. Meanwhile, skin specimens from infected laser-treated guinea pigs in groups A and B demonstrated thinner epidermal thickness than those from infected untreated controls but thicker than those from uninfected treated controls without noticeable inflammatory cell infiltration in the dermis. Conclusion:The guinea pig dermatophytosis model can be used to comparatively evaluate the efficacy and safety of various treatment modalities, including dual-diode lasers, for superficial fungal skin infection.

Antifungal activity of aminopyrrolnitrin against Trichophyton verrucosum in a guinea pig model of dermatophytosis

“…It is possible that, although the fungi were eliminated, the skin did not completely recover during the treatment. Ahn et al 21 . described that even through laser treatment histopathological lesions did not recover completely.…”