Stem Cell Lineage Commitment by Electrical Fields and the Potential Application in Drug Discovery

Title:Stem Cell Lineage Commitment by Electrical Fields and the Potential Application in Drug Discovery

Volume: 14 Issue: 3

Author(s): Hanwei Cui and Liling Tang

Affiliation:

Keywords: Electrical field stimulation, stem cell differentiation, drug development, Stem Cell, Electrical Fields, Drug, Discovery, Adult stem cells, Progenitor cells, MSCs, Cardiomyocytes, Hepatocytes, Osteogenic Differentiation

Abstract: Stem cells may be applied to improve the efficiency of drug discovery, but more effective protocols are first required to control the differentiation. Recent researches have revealed that physical stimulation is an important avenue for stem cell lineage commitment, such as electrical field stimulation. Here, we review literatures about stem cell differentiation by electrical field stimulation. Various forms of electrical fields with soluble induction factors have shown to produce a synergistic effect in order to enhance the osteogenic commitment. Moreover, electrical field stimulation alone shows marked effects of pre-commitment to cardiomyocyte and neuron. However, the related precise molecular regulatory mechanism is unclear. As cardiomyocyte and neuron are crucial factors in drug development process, electrical field stimulation may be proposed as an effect important for stem cell differentiation, exhibiting a potential application in drug discovery.

Cite this article as:

Cui Hanwei and Tang Liling, Stem Cell Lineage Commitment by Electrical Fields and the Potential Application in Drug Discovery, Current Drug Metabolism 2013; 14 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389200211314030002