American scientists from the University of Massachusetts in Ampersts have discovered a breakthrough: the mucous membranes of the skin, the organs of the body and the epithelial cells that make up the organs and gaps of the body can transmit electrical signals to each other. This can lead to wearable bioelectric devices, implants and breakthroughs in the field of wound healing. The study was published scientifically magazine National Academy of Sciences (PNA) procedures.
Professor Steve Granik and the team, which guided Sun-Min Yu, used a 60-electrot chip on which a human epithelial cell layer was enlarged. Using the exact laser, they caused microscopic damage to the cells and observed the distribution of electrical signals.
“We watched how the cells coordinated the answers. This is a slow but exciting conversation,” Yu.
The researchers found that epithelial cells transmit slowly electrical signals using ion channels. These signals move 1000 times slower than nerve cells, but may last more than five hours and may spread at a distance of 40 times the length of the cell.
In addition, damaged cells send signals to the neighbors to coordinate the response to the wound.
The discovery of electrical communication of epithelial cells is a step to understand complex processes in the body. It not only expands information about biology, but also opens new horizons for the development of innovative medical technologies.
Previously, scientists learned Convert skin cells into new neurons.
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Source: Gazeta
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