Applying a low-intensity electric current can accelerate the healing of skin lesions, such as foot ulcers suffered by some diabetics, show work conducted at Laval University.
The team of Professor Mahmoud Rouabhia, from the Faculty of Dentistry, and Ze Zhang, from the Faculty of Medicine, found in laboratory experiments that electricity has a positive effect on the proliferation and migration of normal fibroblasts, cells that plays an important role in the early part of the healing process.
Our goal is to help these patients with open ulcers that do not healsummarized Professor Rouabhia, for whom this discovery represents the culmination of ten years of work.
By comparing fibroblasts taken from healthy subjects with fibroblasts taken from diabetic subjects who had their legs amputated, the researchers discovered that an electric current of 20 or 40 millivolts/mm was no effect on healthy cells. On the other hand, it seems to promote the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts in diabetic subjects.
The level of a marker of fibroblast proliferation, the protein Ki-67, is three times higher when cells are subjected to electrical stimulation. In addition, a tear produced in cell culture closed twice as fast under electrical stimulation.
The researchers admit they don’t understand why cells from diabetics respond better than cells from healthy donors, but they have a hypothesis.
It should be realized that these cells of diabetics come out with a certain number of stressesunderlined Professor Rouabhia. This stress, for example, is the production of certain pro-inflammatory molecules. These are the molecules that keep the wound open. Does this difference mean that these cells are somewhat stressed, so they respond faster and at lower doses? This is a hypothesis and it leads us to work a little further.
The intensity of the electric current required to stimulate recovery is so low that it can be generated by a small device that is with him at all times of the patient and that is powered by a simple battery. The current is essentially imperceptible, which eliminates any discomfort.
Professors Rouabhia and Zang also filed a patent application for an electrical stimulation device that could speed up the healing of ulcers. The ring-shaped device will stimulate the cells around the wound to move toward the center, to promote healing.
It is estimated that approximately 15% of people with diabetes will suffer from a foot ulcer for the rest of their lives. This problem is characterized by skin lesions that do not heal well and are at risk of leading to infections that can lead to amputation.
Researchers do not exclude that the same process is possible to help people without diabetes, but still have healing problems.
The findings of this study are published in Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
