Open Access

Effect of electric stimulation on human chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells under normoxia and hypoxia

  • Authors:
    • Bettina Hiemer
    • Martin Krogull
    • Thomas Bender
    • Josefin Ziebart
    • Simone Krueger
    • Rainer Bader
    • Anika Jonitz‑Heincke
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: June 15, 2018     https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2018.9174
  • Pages: 2133-2141
  • Copyright: © Hiemer et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

During joint movement and mechanical loading, electric potentials occur within cartilage tissue guiding cell development and regeneration. Exposure of cartilage exogenous electric stimulation (ES) may imitate these endogenous electric fields and promote healing processes. Therefore, the present study investigated the influence of electric fields on human chondrocytes, mesenchymal stem cells and the co‑culture of the two. Human chondrocytes isolated from articular cartilage obtained post‑mortally and human mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow (BM‑MSCs) were seeded onto a collagen‑based scaffold separately or as co‑culture. Following incubation with the growth factors over 3 days, ES was performed using titanium electrodes applying an alternating electric field (700 mV, 1 kHz). Cells were exposed to an electric field over 7 days under either hypoxic or normoxic culture conditions. Following this, metabolic activity was investigated and synthesis rates of extracellular matrix proteins were analyzed. ES did not influence metabolic activity of chondrocytes or BM‑MSCs. Gene expression analyses demonstrated that ES increased the expression of collagen type II mRNA and aggrecan mRNA in human chondrocytes under hypoxic culture conditions. Likewise, collagen type II synthesis was significantly increased following exposure to electric fields under hypoxia. BM‑MSCs and the co‑culture of chondrocytes and BM‑MSCs revealed a similar though weaker response regarding the expression of cartilage matrix proteins. The electrode setup may be a valuable tool to investigate the influence of ES on human chondrocytes and BM‑MSCs contributing to fundamental knowledge including future applications of ES in cartilage repair.
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August-2018
Volume 18 Issue 2

Print ISSN: 1791-2997
Online ISSN:1791-3004

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Spandidos Publications style
Hiemer B, Krogull M, Bender T, Ziebart J, Krueger S, Bader R and Jonitz‑Heincke A: Effect of electric stimulation on human chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells under normoxia and hypoxia. Mol Med Rep 18: 2133-2141, 2018
APA
Hiemer, B., Krogull, M., Bender, T., Ziebart, J., Krueger, S., Bader, R., & Jonitz‑Heincke, A. (2018). Effect of electric stimulation on human chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells under normoxia and hypoxia. Molecular Medicine Reports, 18, 2133-2141. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2018.9174
MLA
Hiemer, B., Krogull, M., Bender, T., Ziebart, J., Krueger, S., Bader, R., Jonitz‑Heincke, A."Effect of electric stimulation on human chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells under normoxia and hypoxia". Molecular Medicine Reports 18.2 (2018): 2133-2141.
Chicago
Hiemer, B., Krogull, M., Bender, T., Ziebart, J., Krueger, S., Bader, R., Jonitz‑Heincke, A."Effect of electric stimulation on human chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells under normoxia and hypoxia". Molecular Medicine Reports 18, no. 2 (2018): 2133-2141. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2018.9174