Ferrigno Bryan, Bordett Rosalie, Duraisamy Nithyadevi, Moskow Joshua, Arul Michael R, Rudraiah Swetha, Nukavarapu Syam P, Vella Anthony T, Kumbar Sangamesh G
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, CT, USA.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Saint Joseph, Hartford, CT, USA.
Bioact Mater. 2020 Apr 7;5(3):468-485. doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2020.03.010. eCollection 2020 Sep.
Electrical stimulation (ES) is predominantly used as a physical therapy modality to promote tissue healing and functional recovery. Research efforts in both laboratory and clinical settings have shown the beneficial effects of this technique for the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues, which include muscle, bone, skin, nerve, tendons, and ligaments. The collective findings of these studies suggest ES enhances cell proliferation, extracellular matrix (ECM) production, secretion of several cytokines, and vasculature development leading to better tissue regeneration in multiple tissues. However, there is still a gap in the clinical relevance for ES to better repair tissue interfaces, as ES applied clinically is ineffective on deeper tissue. The use of a conducting material can transmit the stimulation applied from skin electrodes to the desired tissue and lead to an increased function on the repair of that tissue. Ionically conductive (IC) polymeric scaffolds in conjunction with ES may provide solutions to utilize this approach effectively. Injectable IC formulations and their scaffolds may provide solutions for applying ES into difficult to reach tissue types to enable tissue repair and regeneration. A better understanding of ES-mediated cell differentiation and associated molecular mechanisms including the immune response will allow standardization of procedures applicable for the next generation of regenerative medicine. ES, along with the use of IC scaffolds is more than sufficient for use as a treatment option for single tissue healing and may fulfill a role in interfacing multiple tissue types during the repair process.
电刺激（ES）主要用作一种物理治疗方式，以促进组织愈合和功能恢复。实验室和临床研究均表明，该技术对受损组织（包括肌肉、骨骼、皮肤、神经、肌腱和韧带）的修复和再生具有有益作用。这些研究的共同发现表明，电刺激可增强细胞增殖、细胞外基质（ECM）生成、多种细胞因子的分泌以及血管生成，从而促进多种组织更好地再生。然而，在临床应用中，电刺激在更好地修复组织界面方面仍存在差距，因为临床上应用的电刺激对深层组织无效。使用导电材料可以将皮肤电极施加的刺激传递到所需组织，并增强该组织的修复功能。离子导电（IC）聚合物支架与电刺激相结合可能为有效利用这种方法提供解决方案。可注射的IC制剂及其支架可为将电刺激应用于难以触及的组织类型以实现组织修复和再生提供解决方案。更好地理解电刺激介导的细胞分化及相关分子机制（包括免疫反应）将使适用于下一代再生医学的程序标准化。电刺激与IC支架的联合使用足以作为单一组织愈合的治疗选择，并且可能在修复过程中连接多种组织类型方面发挥作用。
