Lab Seminar

Electrical current at physiological strength has been used as folk medicine and applied as a therapeutic approach for various diseases. Recently, we have shown that specific pulse width mild electrical stress (MES : duration : 0.1 millisecond, 55 pulse per second, voltage : 1~2 V/cm) has positive impact on organisms. We have shown that together with heat shock, which elevated the level of heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72), MES attenuated hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice, ameliorated the diabetic phenotype and protected pancreatic β-cells in diabetes mouse model, reduced inflammatory markers in healthy male subjects, and decreased the proteinuria and renal inflammation in Alport syndrome mouse model. In the Alport model, MES was shown to activate not only PI(3)K-Akt pathway but also the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Recently, we have found that MES activated p53, a tumor suppressor known for its cellular protective functions via a network of signaling pathways, leading to G2 phase arrest, and that MES affected LKB1-AMPK signaling, which in turn increases stress resistance and suppresses fat accumulation in C. elegans. These findings add to our growing knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of the effects of optimized mild electrical stimulation as physical medicine.