Lin Long, Yuan Xiaojing, Ma Lili, Xu Liang, Xie Wenyue, Jiang Ying, Xiu Jidong, Xu Hongwei, Tian Zhuoling, Qu Jianan, Zhao Chunhui, Yuan Zuoying, Liu Huilin, Huang Jianyong, Wang Xing
Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Nanchang Innovation Institute, Peking University, Nanchang, 330096, China.
Bioact Mater. 2025 Jul 28;53:630-640. doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.07.013. eCollection 2025 Nov.
Local electrical stimulation (LES) is a widely used clinical method to treat peripheral nerve injury. However, existing plate electrodes (PE) usually suffer from low electronic transport efficiency, whereas acupuncture electrical stimulation may cause damage to normal tissues. There is an urgent need to develop an innovative LES technique with efficient electronic transport, minimal tissue injury and enhanced biosafety. Here, we present a new stretchable transcutaneous electrical stimulation system (STESS) that integrates dissolvable conductive microneedles (DCMN) for optimal skin penetration and electronic transport, along with snake-like electrodes that offer superior flexibility, which can effectively penetrate the stratum corneum, enabling deep tissue electrostimulation with minimal injury. studies and 3D finite-element analysis demonstrate that the DCMN-based electrotherapy significantly enhances subcutaneous nerve stimulation compared to the conventional PE-based technique. By diminishing the electrical resistance of the stratum corneum, the DCMN-based electrotherapy has shown remarkable therapeutic efficacy in a rat facial nerve crush injury model. This will pave the way for innovative physiotherapeutic methodologies in the realm of neurological rehabilitation.
局部电刺激（LES）是一种广泛应用于治疗周围神经损伤的临床方法。然而，现有的平板电极（PE）通常存在电子传输效率低的问题，而针刺电刺激可能会对正常组织造成损伤。迫切需要开发一种具有高效电子传输、最小组织损伤和更高生物安全性的创新LES技术。在此，我们展示了一种新型可拉伸经皮电刺激系统（STESS），该系统集成了可溶解导电微针（DCMN）以实现最佳的皮肤穿透和电子传输，以及具有卓越柔韧性的蛇形电极，能够有效穿透角质层，以最小的损伤实现深部组织电刺激。研究和三维有限元分析表明，与传统的基于PE的技术相比，基于DCMN的电疗法显著增强了皮下神经刺激。通过降低角质层的电阻，基于DCMN的电疗法在大鼠面神经挤压伤模型中显示出显著的治疗效果。这将为神经康复领域的创新物理治疗方法铺平道路。
