Title of study: Cell biological effects of mechanical stimulations generated by focused extracorporeal shock wave applications on cultured human bone marrow stromal cells

Authors: Frank Suhr, Yvonne Delhasse, Gerd Bungartz, Annette Schmidt, Kurt Pfannkuche, Wilhelm Bloch

Human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) have the potential to regenerate damaged tissues, but they are difficult to isolate and target to the site of injury. To overcome these challenges, researchers applied focused extracorporeal shock waves (fESW) to cultured hBMSCs. The results showed that fESW increased the growth rate, proliferation, migration, cell tracking, and wound healing of hBMSCs while reducing the rate of apoptosis activation.

Furthermore, fESW treatment maintained the differentiation potentials of hBMSCs, indicating that they were not genetically manipulated. The study suggests that mechanical stress can precondition hBMSCs for improved therapeutic performance and that mechanically preconditioned hBMSCs could be beneficial for tissue regeneration.

These findings are particularly promising because they provide a non-invasive and effective method to improve the behavior of cells without the need for genetic manipulation. Shockwave therapy could potentially be used in regenerative medicine to enhance the therapeutic potential of hBMSCs and improve tissue regeneration. Overall, this study highlights the benefits of shockwave therapy in enhancing the healing potential of cells for treating various injuries and diseases.