Electrical Stimulation to Accelerate Diabetic Wound Healing

Diabetes mellitus affect around 540 million people globally, 34% of which developing foot ulcers, and amputations caused in 12–24% of cases, 70% of which are preventable. Electrical stimulation (ES) is an established modality in clinical cases involving chronic wounds, and currently, further research is needed to optimize frequency, waveform, and duration to maximize its effectiveness. Alternating current (AC) has been integrated in other therapeutic studies but not in the context of directional wound healing, and has several benefits that include prevention of ion charge build up compared to direct current (DC). Despite that, the relationship between the AC waves on their effect on wound healing remains unclear. Our project aims to address this gap by investigating the differences between AC and DC ES on skin cell migration, specifically in adult human epidermal keratinocyte (HEKa) cells induced with diabetic conditions, using an in vitro model developed during our senior project.