The electric field near human skin wounds declines with age and provides a noninvasive indicator of wound healing (original) (raw)
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Wounds as probes of electrical properties of skin
Journal of Electrical Bioimpedance, 2010
We have built a model where we use a wound as a probe of the dielectric properties of skin. In this way one is able to infer information about skin dielectric properties in situ. We introduce the notion of a skin electrochemical capacitor. This gives good agreement with recent measurements for the electric potential landscape around a wound. Possible diagnostic consequences are briefly touched upon.
Advances in Wound Care, 2012
Background: After human epidermis wounding, transepithelial potential (TEP) present in nonlesional epidermis decreases and induces an endogenous direct current epithelial electric field (EEF) that could be implicated in the wound re-epithelialization. Some studies suggest that exogenous electric stimulation of wounds can stimulate healing, although the mechanisms remain to be determined. The Problem: Little is known concerning the exact action of the EEF during healing. The mechanism responsible for TEP and EEF is unknown due to the lack of an in vitro model to study this phenomenon. Basic Science Advances: We carried out studies by using a wound created in a human tissue-engineered skin and determined that TEP undergoes ascending and decreasing phases during the epithelium formation. The in vitro TEP measurements over time in the wound were corroborated with histological changes and with in vivo TEP variations during porcine skin wound healing. The expression of a crucial element implicated in Na + transport, Na + /K + ATPase pumps, was also evaluated at the same time points during the reepithelialization process. The ascending and decreasing TEP values were correlated with changes in the expression of these pumps. The distribution of Na + /K + ATPase pumps also varied according to epidermal differentiation. Further, inhibition of the pump activity induced a significant decrease of the TEP and of the re-epithelization rate. Clinical Care Relevance: A better comprehension of the role of EEF could have important future medical applications regarding the treatment of chronic wound healing. Conclusion: This study brings a new perspective to understand the formation and restoration of TEP during the cutaneous wound healing process. j 81
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Wound healing is a complex, staged process. It involves extensive communication between the different cellular constituents of various compartments of the skin and its extracellular matrix (ECM). Different signaling pathways are determined by a mutual influence on each other, resulting in a dynamic and complex crosstalk. It consists of various dynamic processes including a series of overlapping phases: hemostasis, inflammation response, new tissue formation, and tissue remodeling. Interruption or deregulation of one or more of these phases may lead to non-healing (chronic) wounds. The most important factor among local and systemic exogenous factors leading to a chronic wound is infection with a biofilm presence. In the last few years, an increasing number of reports have evaluated the effects of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on tissue repair. Each experimental result comes from a single element of this complex process. An interaction between ELF-EMFs an...
The effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields on secondary skin wound healing: An experimental study
Bioelectromagnetics, 2007
Avariety of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have already been experimentally used, in an effort to promote wound healing. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of short duration PEMF on secondary healing of full thickness skin wounds in a rat model. Full thickness skin wounds, 2 by 2 cm, were surgically inflicted in two groups of male Wistar rats, 24 animals each. In the first group (experimental group-EG), the animals were placed and immobilized in a special constructed cage. Then the animals were exposed to a short duration PEMF for 20 min daily. In the second group (control group-CG), the animals were also placed and immobilized in the same cage for the same time, but not exposed to PEMF. On days 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 22, following the infliction of skin wounds, the size and healing progress of each wound were recorded and evaluated by means of planimetry and histological examination. According to our findings with the planimetry, there was a statistically significant acceleration of the healing rate for the first 9 days in EG, whereas a qualitative improvement of healing progress was identified by histological examination at all time points, compared to the control group. Bioelectromagnetics ß 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Advances in Electromagnetic Therapy for Wound Healing
Defence Life Science Journal, 2018
Understanding the molecular basis of wound healing and tissue regeneration continues to remain as one of the major challenges in modern medicine. Wound healing is a complex procedure involving various cellular mechanism. Though high frequency electromagnetic fields are reported to cause cancer, birth defects and DNA damage, electromagnetic field at low intensity and low frequency can be effectively used for wound healing and for many more medical applications. Low intensity-low frequency pulsed electromagnetic therapy is evidenced to have a significant impact on wound repair and regeneration. It provides a non-invasive reparative technique to treat an injury. In vitro studies reported a significant effect of electromagnetic field on neovascularisation and angiogenesis. There are also many pieces of evidence which support its efficiency in reducing the duration of wound healing and improving the tensile strength of scars. Here, we compared the traditional stigma associated with pulsed electromagnetic fields and weighed them with its potential therapeutic effect on wound healing. Furthermore, emphasised the need for more focused research to determine the therapeutic strategies and optimised parameters of pulsed electromagnetic field that can assure efficient wound healing and regeneration.
Pulsed electromagnetic fields accelerate wound healing in the skin of diabetic rats
Bioelectromagnetics, 2010
Delayed wound healing is a common complication in diabetes mellitus. From this point of view, the main purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF PEMFs) on skin wound healing in diabetic rats. In this study, diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats via a single subcutaneous injection of 65 mg/kg streptozocin (freshly dissolved in sterile saline, 0.9%). One month after the induction of diabetes, a full-thickness dermal incision (35 mm length) was made on the right side of the paravertebral region. The wound was exposed to ELF PEMF (20 Hz, 4 ms, 8 mT) for 1 h per day. Wound healing was evaluated by measuring surface area, percentage of healing, duration of healing, and wound tensile strength. Obtained results showed that the duration of wound healing in diabetic rats in comparison with the control group was significantly increased. In contrast, the rate of healing in diabetic rats receiving PEMF was significantly greater than in the diabetic control group. The wound tensile strength also was significantly greater than the control animals. In addition, the duration of wound healing in the control group receiving PEMF was less than the sham group. Based on the above-mentioned results we concluded that this study provides some evidence to support the use of ELF PEMFs to accelerate diabetic wound healing. Further research is needed to determine the PEMF mechanisms in acceleration of wound healing in diabetic rats. Bioelectromagnetics 31:318–323, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Previous measurements of the lateral electric fields near skin wounds in guinea pigs have detected DC fields between 100-200 mV/mm near the edge of the wound. We have studied the translocation response of motile primary human keratinocytes migrating on a collagen substrate while exposed to similar physiological DC electric fields. We find that keratinocytes migrate randomly on collagen in fields of 5 mV/mm or less, but in larger fields they migrate towards the negative pole of the field, exhibiting galvanotaxis. Since these cells have an average cell length of 50 µm, this implies that they are able to detect a voltage gradient as low as 0.5 mV along their length. This cath-odally-directed movement exhibits increased directedness with increasing field strengths between 10 and 100 mV/mm. We observe a maximally directed response at 100 mV/mm with half of the cells responding to the field within 14 minutes. The average speed of migration tended to be greater in fields above 50 mV/mm than in smaller fields. We conclude that human keratinocytes migrate towards the negative pole in DC electric fields that are of the same magnitude as measured in vivo near wounds in mammalian skin.