Interaction of Electric Fields with Vascular Cells

Electrical stimulation has been shown to be effective in improving healing rate of the non-healing or slow-healing wounds, a significant high-cost clinical issue. In order to optimize this process, identifying the mechanisms underlying the interaction of vascular cells with electric field (EF) is of interest. We have developed a 3D model of the cultured cells to simulate EF distribution in the cell membrane. The electrical stimulation of cells has been performed using our novel device that generates EF without any contact between electrodes and cells. The results indicate that cells respond to EF by releasing a specific growth factor (PlGF) which is important for blood vessel growth during wound healing.