A Molecular Link Between Interleukin 22 and Intestinal Mucosal Wound Healing Advances in Wound Care
Directing migration of endothelial progenitor cells with applied DC electric fields.
Published in Stem cell research
Naturally-occurring, endogenous electric fields (EFs) have been detected at skin wounds, damaged tissue sites and vasculature. Applied EFs guide migration of many types of cells, including endothelial cells to migrate directionally. Homing of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) to an injury site is important for repair of vasculature and also for a...
Electric fields guide migration of epidermal stem cells and promote skin wound healing.
...Migration of epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) into wounds may play an important role in wound healing. Endogenous electric fields (EFs) arise naturally at wounds. Consistent with previous reports, we measured outward electric currents at rat skin wounds using vibrating probes. Topical use of prostaglandin E2 significantly promoted wound healing. Howeve...
Electrically Guiding Migration of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published in Stem Cell Reviews and Reports
A major road-block in stem cell therapy is the poor homing and integration of transplanted stem cells with the targeted host tissue. Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells are considered an excellent alternative to embryonic stem (ES) cells and we tested the feasibility of using small, physiological electric fields (EFs) to guide hiPS cells to...
GSK-3β is essential for physiological electric field-directed Golgi polarization and optimal electrotaxis
Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Endogenous electrical fields (EFs) at corneal and skin wounds send a powerful signal that directs cell migration during wound healing. This signal therefore may serve as a fundamental regulator directing cell polarization and migration. Very little is known of the intracellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate EF-induced cell polarization and ...
Ion-selective self-referencing probes for measuring specific ion flux.
Published in Communicative & integrative biology
The metal vibrating probe developed in the 1970s to measure electric current is sensitive down to the micro-Amp range, but detects only net current due to flow of multiple ions and is too large to measure from single cells. Electrophysiological techniques which use glass microelectrodes such as voltage clamping can be used on single cells but are a...
DC electric stimulation upregulates angiogenic factors in endothelial cells through activation of VEGF receptors.
Published in Cytokine
Small direct current (DC) electric fields direct some important angiogenic responses of vascular endothelial cells. Those responses indicate promising use of electric fields to modulate angiogenesis. We sought to determine the regulation of electric fields on transcription and expression of a serial of import angiogenic factors by endothelial cells...
The role of electrical signals in murine corneal wound re-epithelialization.
Published in Journal of cellular physiology
Ion flow from intact tissue into epithelial wound sites results in lateral electric currents that may represent a major driver of wound healing cell migration. Use of applied electric fields (EF) to promote wound healing is the basis of Medicare-approved electric stimulation therapy. This study investigated the roles for EFs in wound re-epitheliali...
Downregulation of PTEN at corneal wound sites accelerates wound healing through increased cell migration.
Published in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
The PI3K/Akt pathway is required for cell polarization and migration, whereas the phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) has inhibitory effects on the PI3K/Akt pathway. The authors therefore hypothesized that wounding would downregulate PTEN and that this downregulation would enhance wound healing. In human corneal epithel...
Ionic components of electric current at rat corneal wounds.
Published in PloS one
Endogenous electric fields and currents occur naturally at wounds and are a strong signal guiding cell migration into the wound to promote healing. Many cells involved in wound healing respond to small physiological electric fields in vitro. It has long been assumed that wound electric fields are produced by passive ion leakage from damaged tissue....
