Zhang Chi, Li Yiqiang, Huang Sai, Yang Li, Zhao Hongwei
School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Jilin University, 5988 Renmin Street, Changchun130025, P. R. China.
Key Laboratory of CNC Equipment Reliability, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, 5988 Renmin Street, Changchun130025, P. R. China.
ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2022 Dec 12;8(12):5349-5360. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00456. Epub 2022 Nov 8.
Electrotherapy plays a crucial role in regulating neuronal activity. Nevertheless, the relevant therapeutic mechanisms are still unclear; thus, the effects of electric fields on brain tissue's mechanical properties and microstructure need to be explored. In this study, focusing on the changes in mechanical properties and microstructure of porcine brain tissues under different types of electric fields, directional and alternating electric fields (frequencies of 5, 20, 50, and 80 Hz, respectively) integrate with a custom-designed indentation device. The experimental results showed that for the brain tissue, the directional electric field (DEF) can reduce the elastic properties of brain tissue. Simultaneously, the DEF can increase the cell spacing and reduce the proteoglycan content. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis observed that the DEF can reduce the integrity of the plasma membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum's stress response, and the myelin lamella's separation. The alternating electric field (AEF) can accelerate the stress relaxation process of brain tissue and change the time-dependent mechanical properties of brain tissue. Meanwhile, with the increase in frequency, the cell spacing decreased, and the proteoglycan content gradually approached the control group without electric fields. TEM analysis observed that with the increase in frequency, the integrity of the plasma membrane increases, and the separation of the myelin lamella gradually disappears. Understanding the changes in the mechanical properties and microstructure of brain tissue under AEF and DEF enables a preliminary exploration of the therapeutic mechanism of electrotherapy. Simultaneously, the essential data was provided to support the development of embedded electrodes. In addition, the experiments build a solid foundation for future experiments.
电疗法在调节神经元活动中起着至关重要的作用。然而，相关的治疗机制仍不清楚；因此，需要探索电场对脑组织力学性能和微观结构的影响。在本研究中，聚焦于不同类型电场作用下猪脑组织力学性能和微观结构的变化，将定向电场和交变电场（频率分别为5、20、50和80Hz）与定制的压痕装置相结合。实验结果表明，对于脑组织，定向电场（DEF）可降低脑组织的弹性性能。同时，DEF可增加细胞间距并降低蛋白聚糖含量。透射电子显微镜（TEM）分析观察到，DEF可降低质膜的完整性、内质网的应激反应以及髓鞘板层的分离。交变电场（AEF）可加速脑组织的应力松弛过程并改变脑组织随时间变化的力学性能。同时，随着频率的增加，细胞间距减小，蛋白聚糖含量逐渐接近无电场的对照组。TEM分析观察到，随着频率的增加，质膜的完整性增加，髓鞘板层的分离逐渐消失。了解AEF和DEF作用下脑组织力学性能和微观结构的变化有助于初步探索电疗法的治疗机制。同时，提供了重要数据以支持嵌入式电极的开发。此外，这些实验为未来的实验奠定了坚实的基础。
