Changes in S100 proteins identified in healthy skin following low level electrical stimulation: a possible relevance for wound healing

Targeted electrical energy applied to wounds has been shown to improve wound-healing rates. However, the mechanisms are poorly understood. We show that electrical energy stimulation applied continuously for 48 hours to the skin of healthy patients has the effect of modifying gene expression in a number of identified genes.

Objective
Targeted electrical energy applied to wounds have been shown to improve wound-healing rates. However, the mechanisms are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify genes that are responsive to electrical stimulation (ES) in healthy subjects with undamaged skin.

Approach
To achieve this objective we used a small non-invasive, ES medical device to deliver a continuous specific set sequence of electrical energy impulses over a 48-hour period to the skin of healthy volunteers and compared gene expression by microarray analysis.

Results
Application of this specific electrical impulse resulted in differential expression of 105 genes, the majority of which were downregulated. Our post-microarray analyses revealed there was commonality with a small number of genes that have previously been shown to be upregulated in skin wounds including venous leg ulcers.

Innovation
The identification of the differential expression in this subset of genes in healthy subjects provides new potential lines of scientific enquiry for identifying similar responses in subjects with slow or poorly healing wounds.

Conclusion
The specific sequence of electrical energy stimulation applied continuously for 48 hours to the skin of healthy patients has the effect of modifying gene expression in a number of identified genes.