Electrical Stimulation Promotes Keratinocyte Proliferation and Activated ERK1/2 Signaling Pathways

Objectives: Effective wound healing remains a clinical challenge in reducing patient morbidity and improving quality of life. Wound healing is a complex process involving the endogenous electrical field (EF). EF can contribute to wound healing by activating keratinocytes to promote re-epithelialization.
OBJECTIVES: Decipher the effects of exogenous electrical stimulation (ES) on human keratinocyte viability, proliferation, and production of keratins (K)-5 and K14, and investigate the activated signaling pathways in keratinocytes exposed to ES.
Methods: Human skin keratinocytes were cultured for 6 or 24 h to different intensities of ES than cell viability, proliferation, Keratins 5 and 14, and phosphorylated ERK1/2 and p38/MAPKs were evaluated.
Results: Keratinocytes exposed to ES between 100 mV/mm to 200 mV/mm for 6 h showed a significantly increased number of viable cells, while an exposure to 50, 100, and 150 mV/mm for 24 h recorded high levels of viable keratinocytes. However, a 24-h exposure to 200 mV/mm revealed a decrease in cell viability. ES at 100 and 200 mV/mm for 6 h increased keratinocyte proliferation and the expression of K5 and K14. K14 was more sensitive than K5 was to ES. The upregulation of keratinocyte proliferation and keratin secretion promoted by ES involved the ERK1/2 and p38-MAPK signaling pathways, because both were activated when keratinocytes were subjected to ES.
Conclusions: Overall results suggest that ES can be useful in supporting skin wound healing by activating keratinocytes.