Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Combined with Triamcinolone Acetonide for Hypertrophic Scar Treatment: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation.

Authors

Yan Mi, Jiayu Chen, Fei Teng, Wei Zheng, Yirui Sheng, Chi Ma

Published in

IEEE transactions on nanobioscience. Volume PP. Nov 12, 2026. Epub Nov 12, 2026.

Abstract

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a common fibrotic disorder following wound healing for which no universally effective therapy currently exists. This study provides the first systematic investigation of the therapeutic potential and underlying mechanisms of combining Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) with the corticosteroid Triamcinolone acetonide (TA). In vitro experiments using fibroblasts isolated from hypertrophic scar tissue demonstrated that nsPEF induced a dose‑dependent increase in cell membrane permeability, providing a mechanistic basis for enhanced transmembrane drug uptake via electroporation. Notably, nsPEF alone reduced fibroblast viability, induced apoptosis, and decreased α-SMA expression. Viability assays revealed that combining a longer pulse width (400 nanoseconds) with a moderate triamcinolone acetonide concentration (0.08 grams per liter) yielded the most pronounced synergistic inhibitory effect. Flow cytometry and α-SMA immunofluorescence staining further showed increased apoptosis and reduced α-SMA expression following combined treatment. In vivo, the rabbit ear scar model confirmed that nsPEF alone significantly improved macroscopic scar morphology, reduced the scar elevation index (SEI), and downregulated fibrotic markers. The combined treatment further reduced the SEI from 3.0 to 1.54, approaching normal skin values, and more profoundly decreasing fibrotic markers and abnormal collagen deposition. Collectively, these findings establish that combining nsPEF with TA constitutes a novel synergistic physical-pharmacologic paradigm and warrants further exploration as a potential therapeutic strategy for hypertrophic scarring.

PMID:
43019281
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Nov 2026.

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