Electrical stimulation enhances cell migration and integrative repair in the meniscus
Resource
Sci Rep, 4,
Journal
Scientific Reports
Pages
3674
Date Issued
2014
Date
2014
Author(s)
Yuan, Xiaoning
Arkonac, Derya E.
Chao, Pen-hsiu Grace
Vunjak-Novakovic, Gordana
Abstract
Electrical signals have been applied towards the repair of articular tissues in the laboratory and clinical settings for over seventy years. We focus on healing of the meniscus, a tissue essential to knee function with limited innate repair potential, which has been largely unexplored in the context of electrical stimulation. Here we demonstrate for the first time that electrical stimulation enhances meniscus cell migration and integrative tissue repair. We optimize pulsatile direct current electrical stimulation parameters on cells at the micro-scale, and apply these to healing of full-thickness defects in explants at the macro-scale. We report increased expression of the adenosine A(2b) receptor in meniscus cells after stimulation at the micro- and macro-scale, and propose a role for A(2b)R in meniscus electrotransduction. Taken together, these findings advance our understanding of the effects of electrical signals and their mechanisms of action, and contribute to developing electrotherapeutic strategies for meniscus repair.