journal article·2026-05-04Open access

Inertia-driven, self-powered electrotherapy for enhanced wound regeneration

Hye-Min Lee, Jae Hoon Kim, Hee Kyu Lee, Hye-min Park, Hyeseon Jeong, Jiyu Hyun, Ju-El Kim, Su-Hyun Park, Yu-Jeong Lee, Hyun-Ji Park, Hee Seok Yang, Suk Ho Bhang, Woo Jun Sul, Sang-Min Won, Jeong-Kee Yoon, Hanjun Ryu

npj Flexible Electronics· Volume 10· Issue 1

Abstract

Skin serves as the primary barrier against hazardous substances, and timely wound closure is an essential initial step in wound regeneration. However, intrinsic skin regenerative capacity is severely limited in critical-size acute wounds due to insufficient cell migration and tissue regeneration. Electrical stimulation restores endogenous wound electric fields and promotes cell migration and proliferation, thereby accelerating wound regeneration. Repetitive stimulation with identical electrical waveforms may attenuate electrophysiological responsiveness. Here, we present a miniaturized, lightweight, inertia-driven triboelectric nanogenerator–based electroceutical platform (2 cm3, 4.9 g) that enables self-powered operation with bioresorbable electrodes. In vitro studies demonstrate that electric fields and charges enhance cell migration and exosome secretion. In vivo animal studies confirm that motion-modulated, electrical waveforms delivered to the wound bed promote angiogenesis and epidermal maturation and stabilize the wound-associated microbiome. Collectively, these findings establish an electroceutical strategy for effective wound management in aging and impaired healing environments.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation · Microbial Inactivation Methods · Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies

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