Enhancing cell motility via non-contact capacitively coupled electrostatic field

Cellular motility is essential for making and maintaining multicellular organisms throughout their lifespan. Migrating cells can move either individually or collectively by a crawling movement that links the cytoskeletal activity to the adhesion surface. In vitro stimulation by electric fields can be achieved by direct, capacitive or inductive coupled setups. We tested the effects of electrical stimulation provided by capacitive coupling on glioma cells, using a capacitive-coupled system powered by a potential difference of 35 V between two electrodes placed outside the culture dish. Numerical dosimetry identified two different fields: (i) in the order of 10³ V/m at the level of the dielectric substrates, with almost uniform distribution; (ii) in the order of 10^-1 V/m at the level of the culture medium, with spatial and material-dependent distribution. The scratch assay and the tracking of single-cell movement showed a boosted motility when crawling occurs on polystyrene surfaces, demonstrating the feasibility of this peculiar exposure system to generate forces capable of influencing cell behavior.