Abstract

Dr. Raymond L. Venter (PhD Natural Medicine)

ABSTRACT

Changes in critical cellular functions caused by therapeutic ultrasound (U.S.) are likely to be involved in the effects of therapeutic ultrasound (U.S.) on tissue healing processes in vivo. The effects of a single 5-minute C.W. 3.00-MHz U.S. exposure on the growth and functional activity of a human osteoblast-like cell line (MG63 cells) and human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells in vitro were investigated in this study. Although average spatial intensity (ISA) values ranging from 140 to 990 mW/cm2 were found not to affect cell proliferation, flow cytometry (FCM) analysis revealed that there were significant and distinct effects on cell function. As a result, bone-associated proteins in MG63 cells were downregulated, while collagen type I (COL I) was unaffected, and fibronectin (F.N.) was upregulated at low levels. In PDL cells, however, bone protein expression was dose-dependent, and the levels of F.N. and COL I were reduced. These findings suggest that the United States significantly impacts connective tissue cells' functional activities in vitro, impacting tissue repair and regeneration in vivo.