Efeito de pulsos elétricos em células Beta pancreáticas in silico e desenvolvimento de um sistema experimental para aplicação de baixas voltagens em ilhotas de Langerhans de ratos in vitro

Abstract

Studies on the influence of exposure to electric and magnetic fields on pancreatic islets are still scarce and controversial, and it is difficult to compare existing studies because of the different research methods employed. In this work, computational simulations were used to study burst patterns during exposure of pancreatic β cells to pulses of constant voltages. The in silico results show that the burst patterns in pancreatic β cells are dependent on the external voltage applied and that some voltages may even inhibit this phenomenon. It was shown in these in silico experiments that there are critical voltages, such as 2.16 mv, in which the burst shape changes from a medium oscillation phase to a slow oscillation phase. While at a voltage of 3.5 mv a transition occurs in the burst from the slow-to-rapid oscillation phase. Voltages greater than 3.5 mv in our simulations led to a pattern with absence of bursts, indicating inhibition in the insulin secretion process. These results are reinforced by phase space analysis, which presents a state map or differential equation system variables of a mathematical dynamic model. In order to test the results obtained in vitro, an open-source electrical pulse generator was developed with the aid of the arduino platform, aiming at the application of low voltages constant pulses in the islets of Langerhans.