title: Microcurrent stimulation promotes reverse remodelling in cardiomyocytes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been shown that electrical stimulation can improve tissue repair in patients. Imbalances in the extracellular matrix composition induce manifestation of heart failure. Here we investigated the application of microcurrent (MC) to modulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in cardiomyocytesin vitroandin vivoto reverse remodelling in the heart in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiomyocytes from young SHR (7 months) and old SHR (14 months) were stimulatedin vitroandin vivowith MC. MMP and TIMP expression were analysed by qPCR and immunofluorescence to evaluate the modulation of MC treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Modulation of cardiomyocytes with MC enhances proliferation with no morphological changesin vitro. By electrical stimulation dual effects, increase and decrease, on MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-3, and TIMP-4 mRNA as well as protein expression were observed, depending on the age of the cardiomyocytes. In ourin vivostudy, MC down-regulated MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-4 and increased TIMP-3 in young SHR. In old SHR MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-4 were up-regulated, whereas TIMP-3 was unaffected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that treatment of MC can modulate the expression of MMPs and TIMPsin vitroandin vivoin SHR. Based on these results new treatments for heart failure could be developed.
authors: Department for Biomedical Research Medical University Vienna Vienna Austria.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Kapeller
authors: Berlin Heals GmbH Berlin Germany.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Mueller
authors: Department for Biomedical Research Medical University Vienna Vienna Austria.
authors: Udo
authors: U
authors: Losert
authors: Department for Biomedical Research Medical University Vienna Vienna Austria.
authors: Bruno K
authors: BK
authors: Podesser
authors: Department for Biomedical Research Medical University Vienna Vienna Austria.
authors: Karin
authors: K
authors: Macfelda
keywords: Cardiomyocytes; Extracellular matrix; MMP/TIMP; Microcurrent