The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the effect of HeNe laser on wound healing in rats. Experimental studies that adopted HeNe laser as a treatment of acute lesions in healthy adult rats were selected, with scalpel-induced lesions, at PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases. The following keywords were used: wound healing and collagen, according to MeSH and DeCS, besides the terms HeNe laser and skin repair, and their equivalent in Portuguese and Spanish. Three studies were included in this systematic review, but it was not possible to perform a metanalysis, due to impossibility to compare methods of the selected studies. All studies carried out analysis through histological cuts of the scars. The presence of methodological flaws in the three articles hampered reliable interpretation of the findings. The papers highlighted a decrease of the inflammatory response intensity and a greater organization of collagen fibers on the irradiated group. HeNe laser therapy showed a good response on tissue repair. However, these results must be analyzed carefully, since there was heterogeneity, mostly related to the adopted parameters.
laser therapy; low level; skin; wound healing; collagen
