Role and mechanism of micro-energy treatment in regenerative medicine

Abstract

With the continuous integration and intersection of life sciences, engineering and physics, the application for micro-energy in the basic and clinical research of regenerative medicine (RM) has made great progress. As a key target in the field of RM, stem cells have been widely used in the studies of regeneration. Recent studies have shown that micro-energy can regulate the biological behavior of stem cells to repair and regenerate injured organs and tissues by mechanical stimulation with appropriate intensity. Integrins-mediated related signaling pathways may play important roles in transducing mechanical force about micro-energy. However, the complete mechanism of mechanical force transduction needs further research. The purpose of this article is to review the biological effect and mechanism of micro-energy treatment on stem cells, to provide reference for further research.

Keywords: Micro-energy medicine (MEM); integrin; mechanical force; regeneration; stem cells.

Figure 1

Important role and mechanism of micro-energy treatment in regenerative medicine. LIPUS, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound; PI3K, phosphoinositide 3-kinase; Akt, protein kinase B (PKB), also known as Akt; Src, Src is short for sarcoma, a proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src; TSC2, tuberous sclerosis complex 2; RAS, molecules of MAPK/ERK pathway; RAF, molecules of MAPK/ERK pathway; MEK, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1; FAK, focal adhesion kinase; SOS, Son of Sevenless; MAP3K, MAP kinase kinase kinase; MKK3/6, MAP kinase kinase 3/6; p38, p38 MAPK.