2018 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 153-161
Physical therapy with ultrasound has been attracting attention as a treatment method with a marked effect and causing little stress. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), with low stimulus and output, is used to promote wound healing, treat non-union fractures, and encourage tissue regeneration after implant placement.
The influence of LIPUS on bone differentiation and regeneration was investigated at the cell level in a previous study, but the influence on muscle, which receives mechanical stress similar to bone, has not been investigated. In this study, to investigate the influence of LIPUS on muscle cell differentiation, mouse C2C12 cells, which can differentiate into myotube cells in vitro, were irradiated with LIPUS and the influence was investigated.
3-MHz LIPUS irradiation showed no cytotoxicity for C2C12 cells even when the output was increased to 90 mW/cm2. Furthermore, 3-MHz LIPUS irradiation for 15 min at 70 mW/cm2 output promoted the differentiation of C2C12 cells (myoblasts) into myotube cells, and the effect of a single application was not different from that of once-a-day application for 7 days.
It is suggested that LIPUS irradiation has a muscle differentiation-promoting action.
