Electrical stimulation enhances cellular/molecular functions of osteoblasts relevant to new bone formation in vitro

The present study applied electrical stimulation to osteoblasts in vitro and provided cellular/molecular evidence that alternating current electrical stimulation promotes various important, osteoblast functions, such as cell proliferation, expression of genes for collagenous and non-collagenous proteins, and calcium deposition in the extracellular matrix. These functions are responsible for the chemical composition of the organic and inorganic phases of the bone matrix and are required for new bone formation in vivo. Moreover, such functions have major consequences for bone repair, healing, and regeneration and may be responsible for the accelerated bone healing observed in animal models under electrical stimulation. The present in vitro research exemplifies the use of biophysical stimuli and alternative strategies for enhancing osteoblast functions which, although extremely promising, remain as yet unexplored for bone regeneration purposes in either clinical or tissue engineering applications.