Differential Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Electrostimulation in a Standardized Setting

The therapeutic usage of physical stimuli is framed in a highly heterogeneous research area, with variable levels of maturity and of translatability into clinical application. In particular, electrostimulation is deeply studied for its application on the autonomous nervous system, but less is known about the anti-inflammatory effects of such stimuli beyond the inflammatory reflex. Further, reproducibility and meta-analyses on existing results are extremely challenging, owing to the limited rationale on dosage and experimental standardization. In this work we propose a series of controlled experiments on the effects of electrical stimuli (in direct and alternate current) delivered on a standardized 3D bioconstruct constituted by fibroblasts and keratinocytes in a collagen matrix. Transcriptomics backed by metabolomics at selected time points allow to obtain a first systematic overview of the biological functions at stake, highlighting the differential anti-inflammatory potential of such approaches, with promising results for 5V direct current stimuli. We hope that our results will trigger an interest and a facilitation in the study of the anti-inflammatory effects of physical stimuli, highlighting not only the potential but also the limitations of such approaches, offering, ultimately, solid evidence for future translation into the clinic.