Study of electrical stimulation with different electric field intensities in regulating differentiation of PC12 cells. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Study of Electrical Stimulation with Different Electric Field Intensities in Regulating Differentiation of PC12 Cells.
ACS Chem Neurosci. 2018 Sep 13. Epub 2018 Sep 13. PMID: 30212623
Wei Jing
The strategy of using electrical stimulation (ES) to promote neural differentiation and regeneration of injured nerves is proven feasible. The study on the possible molecular mechanisms in relation to this ES promotion effect should be helpful to understand the phenomenon. In this study, it was identified the neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells was enhanced when the electric field intensity was in the range of 30-80 mV/mm, lower or higher electric field intensity displayed inferior effect. Under ES, however, levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and expression of TREK-1 were measured gradually increasing alongside higher electric field intensity. Trying to understand the relationship between the ES enhancement on differentiation and these variations in cell activities, parallel experiments were conducted by introducing exogeneous H2O2 into culture systems at different concentrations. Similarly, the effects of H2O2 concentration on neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells, intracellular ROS and Ca2+ levels, and TREK-1 expression were systematically characterized. In comparative studies, it was found the two cases that ES of 50 mV/mm for 2 h/day and H2O2 of 5µM in culture medium shared comparable results in intracellular ROS and Ca2+ levels, and TREK-1 expression. Higher H2O2 concentration (e.g. 10 µM and 20 µM) demonstrated adverse effect on cell differentiation and caused DNA damage. A stronger ES (e.g. 100 mV/mm), being associated with higher intracellular ROS level, also resulted in weaker enhancement on the neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. These facts suggested that the intracellular ROS generated under ES might be an intermediate signal transducer involved in cascade reactions relative to cell differentiation.