Electrical control of calcium oscillations in mesenchymal stem cells using microsecond pulsed electric fields

Background: Human mesenchymal stem cells are promising tools for regenerative medicine due to their ability to differentiate into many cellular types such as osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes amongst many other cell types. These cells present spontaneous calcium oscillations implicating calcium channels and pumps of the plasma membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. These oscillations regulate many basic functions in the cell such as proliferation and differentiation. Therefore, the possibility to mimic or regulate these oscillations might be useful to regulate mesenchymal stem cells biological functions. Methods: One or several electric pulses of 100 μs were used to induce Ca²⁺ spikes caused by the penetration of Ca²⁺ from the extracellular medium, through the transiently electropermeabilized plasma membrane, in human adipose mesenchymal stem cells from several donors. Attached cells were preloaded with Fluo-4 AM and exposed to the electric pulse(s) under the fluorescence microscope. Viability was also checked. Results: According to the pulse(s) electric field amplitude, it is possible to generate a supplementary calcium spike with properties close to those of calcium spontaneous oscillations, or, on the contrary, to inhibit the spontaneous calcium oscillations for a very long time compared to the pulse duration. Through that inhibition of the oscillations, Ca²⁺ oscillations of desired amplitude and frequency could then be imposed on the cells using subsequent electric pulses. None of the pulses used here, even those with the highest amplitude, caused a loss of cell viability. Conclusions: An easy way to control Ca²⁺ oscillations in mesenchymal stem cells, through their cancellation or the addition of supplementary Ca²⁺ spikes, is reported here. Indeed, the direct link between the microsecond electric pulse(s) delivery and the occurrence/cancellation of cytosolic Ca²⁺ spikes allowed us to mimic and regulate the Ca²⁺ oscillations in these cells. Since microsecond electric pulse delivery constitutes a simple technology available in many laboratories, this new tool might be useful to further investigate the role of Ca²⁺ in human mesenchymal stem cells biological processes such as proliferation and differentiation.