Skin Cells Can Send Electrical Signals to Help Heal Wounds – A New Discovery in Wound Healing

When you think of cells sending electric signals, nerve cells probably come to mind. But recent research has uncovered something truly surprising: skin cells can also send out electrical pulses after being injured—and while these signals are slower than those in nerves, they may play a key role in how wounds heal.

A Shocking Discovery: Skin Cells Can Communicate Electrically

For years, scientists believed that only neurons could send electric signals to communicate across the body. But researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have discovered that epithelial cells—the kind found in skin and internal organs—can also produce electrical pulses when damaged.

The pulses are slow but steady, traveling across 500 micrometers, or about the width of 40 skin cells. These signals may act as a warning system, telling nearby cells that injury has occurred and preparing them for wound healing.

How the Experiment Was Conducted

To study this phenomenon, scientists grew human skin cells and dog kidney cells—both types of epithelial cells—on special chips equipped with electrodes. Using precision lasers, they created controlled damage to some of the cells and then monitored the electrical activity.

What they found was unexpected: tiny voltage spikes triggered by the flow of calcium ions. While similar in voltage to nerve impulses, these electric pulses were much slower, taking 1–2 seconds to register, compared to nerve impulses that occur in milliseconds.

In fact, the pulses were so slow that the researchers nearly missed them. Their monitoring software was initially set to detect only fast nerve-like signals and ignored anything slower than 500 milliseconds. Once that filter was removed, the signals became clear—and consistent.

Electric Pulses That Last for Hours

One of the most fascinating findings was that the injured cells continued to emit electrical signals for over five hours. This suggests that the signals are not just a brief response, but a long-term communication system.

The goal? Likely to coordinate wound healing by signaling surrounding cells to respond—either by removing damaged cells, initiating immune responses, or starting the repair process.

Why This Matters: A New Understanding of Wound Healing

Scientists have long known that wounds alter the electric fields in tissues, but this is the first time epithelial cells themselves have been seen sending electric spikes. It marks a fundamental shift in how we understand the body’s healing process.

While nerve signals handle fast, immediate responses, these slow, sustained electrical pulses may manage the long-term healing process, which takes days or even weeks. It’s a crucial new piece of the puzzle in regenerative medicine.

What’s Next? 3D Tissue and Cross-Cell Communication

The research team plans to extend their study by exploring how these electric signals work in 3D tissue models and how they interact with other cell types. This could lead to breakthroughs in how we treat wounds, from skin injuries to post-surgical healing.

Understanding the electrical side of biology could also open doors for new medical technologies, such as electrical therapies that promote faster, more efficient healing.

Conclusion

This groundbreaking study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has revealed a new layer of communication in our bodies—one powered by electricity, not just chemicals. As researchers continue to explore this hidden language of cells, it’s becoming clear that bioelectricity plays a bigger role in health and healing than we ever imagined.

So next time you get a scrape or cut, remember—your skin cells might just be talking to each other through tiny electric pulses, setting the stage for your body’s natural repair system to kick into gear.