Laser mediated production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species; implications for therapy.

Laser therapy has gained wide acceptance applications to many medical disciplines. The side effect-effects from laser therapy involve the potential for interaction with cellular and extracellular matrix molecules to generate reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species which in turn can initiate lipid peroxidation, protein damage or DNA modification. These issues are addressed in this short overview in the context of experimental models of laser-induced thrombosis.