Galvanic current activates the NLRP3 inflammasome to promote type I collagen production in tendon
- Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria, Spain
- University of Murcia, Spain
- MV Clinic, Spain
Abstract
The NLRP3 inflammasome coordinates inflammation in response to different pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns, being implicated in different infectious, chronic inflammatory, metabolic and degenerative diseases. In chronic tendinopathic lesions, different non-resolving mechanisms produce a degenerative condition that impairs tissue healing and which therefore complicates their clinical management. Percutaneous needle electrolysis consists of the application of a galvanic current and is an emerging treatment for tendinopathies. In the present study, we found that galvanic current activates the NLRP3 inflammasome and induces an inflammatory response that promotes a collagen-mediated regeneration of the tendon in mice. This study establishes the molecular mechanism of percutaneous electrolysis that can be used to treat chronic lesions and describes the beneficial effects of an induced inflammasome-related response.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting file; Source Data files have been provided for Figures 1 to 7.
Article and author information
Author details
Alejandro Peñin-Franch
Fermín Valera-Garrido
Funding
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (SAF2017‐88276‐R)
- Pablo Pelegrín
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2020-116709RB-I00)
- Pablo Pelegrín
Fundación Séneca (20859/PI/18)
- Pablo Pelegrín
Fundación Séneca (21081/PDC/19)
- Pablo Pelegrín
European Research Council (614578)
- Pablo Pelegrín
European Research Concil (899636)
- Pablo Pelegrín
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2020-113919RB-I00)
- Juan M Bueno
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Yousef Abu-Amer, Washington University School of Medicine, United States
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All experimental protocols for animal handling were refined and approved by the local animal research ethical committee (references 241/2016 and 541/2019) and Animal Health Service of the General Directorate of Fishing and Farming of the Council of Murcia (Servicio de Sanidad Animal, Dirección General de Ganadería y Pesca, Consejería de Agricultura y Agua de la Región de Murcia, reference A13160702). Animal experimentation was performed in strict accordance with the Hospital Clínico Universitario Vírgen de la Arrixaca animal experimentation guidelines, and the Spanish national (RD 1201/2005 and Law 32/2007) and EU (86/609/EEC and 2010/63/EU) legislation.
Human subjects: We present non-invasive ultrasound scanning images from routinely clinical following from a single patient. The data is completely anonymised and from the normal clinical routine practice.
Version history
- Received: September 7, 2021
- Preprint posted: September 22, 2021 (view preprint)
- Accepted: February 23, 2022
- Accepted Manuscript published: February 24, 2022 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: March 4, 2022 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2022, Peñin-Franch et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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Galvanic current activates the NLRP3 inflammasome to promote type I collagen production in tendon
eLife 11:e73675.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.73675
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