Moxibustion and laser irradiation are perceived to achieve satisfactory therapeutic effects by inducing photothermal effects on biological tissue. Understanding the photon transport and heat transfer process is an effective way to reveal their underlying mechanism. The temperature distribution of in-vitro tissue under gentle moxibustion and 808 nm laser irradiation were measured experimentally. Photon transport was simulated by Monte Carlo models. Heat transfer models on in-vitro tissue with convolved Monte Carlo results as heat sources were developed. During moxibustion, photons emitted from burning moxa stick with long-wavelength deposited in skin layer, which induced a maximum temperature on tissue surface. While for 808 nm laser irradiation, most photons penetrated through skin, which resulted in the highest temperature in fat tissue. Laser irradiation with big beam radius could induce a wide and relatively uniform thermal effect. During moxibustion and laser irradiation, the wavelength and beam radius have a significant influence on photons distribution as well as temperature profile in biological tissue. Laser irradiation with suitable parameters can be proposed as a substitution of moxibustion in terms of photothermal effect. This work would provide valuable guidance for understanding the photothermal mechanism of moxibustion and laser irradiation in the combined view of photon transport and heat transfer.

艾灸和激光照射被认为可以通过对生物组织产生光热效应来达到令人满意的治疗效果。了解光子的传输和传热过程是揭示其潜在机理的有效途径。实验测量了温和艾灸和808 nm激光照射下体外组织的温度分布。光子传输是由蒙特卡洛模型模拟的。开发了具有卷积蒙特卡洛结果作为热源的体外组织传热模型。在艾灸期间，燃烧的艾条发出的光子会以长波长停留在皮肤层中，从而在组织表面引发最高温度。在808 nm激光照射下，大多数光子会穿透皮肤，从而导致脂肪组织的温度最高。大束半径的激光辐照会产生较宽且相对均匀的热效应。在艾灸和激光照射过程中，波长和束半径对生物组织中的光子分布以及温度分布有重要影响。就光热效应而言，可以提出具有适当参数的激光照射作为艾灸的替代品。这项工作将为从光子传输和传热的角度理解艾灸和激光照射的光热机理提供有价值的指导。就光热效应而言，可以提出具有适当参数的激光照射作为艾灸的替代品。这项工作将为从光子传输和传热的角度理解艾灸和激光照射的光热机理提供有价值的指导。就光热效应而言，可以提出具有适当参数的激光照射作为艾灸的替代品。这项工作将为从光子传输和传热的角度理解艾灸和激光照射的光热机理提供有价值的指导。