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Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) produce powerful electrical effects by concentrating a high power electric pulse over a very short period of time. They attract attention as a method of physical stimulation of the subject in various fields, especially in the life sciences. Researchers at Kumamoto University in Japan recently discovered that stimulating immune cells with nsPEF could cause them to react as if they were stimulated by bacteria.
Researchers at the Institute for Pulsed Energy Science (IPPS) have selected a human leukemia cell line frequently used to study blood cell differentiation, the HL-60 lineage, to test the effects of nsPEF on immune cells. First, they differentiated cells into neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell. Neutrophils play an important role in the immune system because they use phagocytosis, antimicrobial protein secretions and extracellular neutrophil traps (NETs) to kill the bacteria that infect the body. TNEs are created from neutrophil DNA released by their nucleus. This then forms an extracellular fibrous network that traps the bacteria and increases the local concentration of antimicrobials.
The researchers then analyzed the neutrophil and undifferentiated HL-60 responses to nsPEF exposure where they observed chromosomal DNA released by neutrophils, as well as a special modification reaction called citrullination occurring in histones. Since these reactions occurred only in neutrophils, the researchers considered that these cellular responses were equivalent to the formation of NETs that are formed when neutrophils are stimulated by bacteria. In other words, they seem to have found a way to stimulate neutrophils by using nsPEFs to induce an immune response from cells to bacteria without actually using bacteria.
"Numerous studies have shown that nsPEFs are promising for cancer treatment applications," said Prof. Ken-ichi Yano, director of the IPPS's study of the University of New York. Kumamoto. "Our research has shown that nsPEFs can also be used to stimulate cells to determine their function.We believe this has a wide range of potential biomedical applications."
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Material provided by Kumamoto University. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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