Abstract
BackgroundElectrochemical signals play an important role in cell communication and behavior. Electrically charged ions transported across cell membranes maintain an electrochemical imbalance that gives rise to bioelectric signaling, called membrane potential or Vmem. Vmem plays a key role in numerous inter- and intracellular functions that regulate cell behaviors like proliferation, differentiation and migration, all playing a critical role in embryonic development, healing, and regeneration.MethodsWith the goal of analyzing the changes in Vmem during cell proliferation and differentiation, here we used direct current electrical stimulation (EStim) to promote cell proliferation and differentiation and simultaneously tracked the corresponding changes in Vmem in adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSC).ResultsWe found that EStim caused increased AT-MSC proliferation that corresponded to Vmem depolarization and increased osteogenic differentiation that corresponded to Vmem hyperpolarization. Taken together, this shows that Vmem changes associated with EStim induced cell proliferation and differentiation can be accurately tracked during these important cell functions. Using this tool to monitor Vmem changes associated with these important cell behaviors we hope to learn more about how these electrochemical cues regulate cell function with the ultimate goal of developing new EStim based treatments capable of controlling healing and regeneration.
Highlights
Understanding, harnessing and controlling the body’s regenerative capabilities has long been among the most sought-after goals in medical research
All cells were stained with the membrane potential (Vmem) sensitive florescent dye, DiBAC4(3), and imaged at 0, 7, 14, and 21 days, and cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were measured at the same time points
We found that fluorescence profiles (Vmem values) significantly decreased on for day 7 (p < 0.01), day 14 (p < 0.001) and day 21 (p < 0.01) during osteogenic differentiation (Fig. 3A)
Summary
Understanding, harnessing and controlling the body’s regenerative capabilities has long been among the most sought-after goals in medical research. Results: We found that EStim caused increased AT-MSC proliferation that corresponded to Vmem depolarization and increased osteogenic differentiation that corresponded to Vmem hyperpolarization Taken together, this shows that Vmem changes associated with EStim induced cell proliferation and differentiation can be accurately tracked during these important cell functions. This shows that Vmem changes associated with EStim induced cell proliferation and differentiation can be accurately tracked during these important cell functions Using this tool to monitor Vmem changes associated with these important cell behaviors we hope to learn more about how these electrochemical cues regulate cell function with the ultimate goal of developing new EStim based treatments capable of controlling healing and regeneration
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