A dynamic model for intracellular calcium response in fibroblasts induced by electrical stimulation

Regulation of intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca(2+)]in) in fibroblasts induced by exogenous electrical stimulation could be applied to control gene expressions selectively which in turn modulate the function of the fibroblasts. Regarding the mechanism for electric-field-induced Ca(2+) influx via voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels and/or stretch-activated cation channels in the fibroblasts, a dynamic mathematical model is proposed to quantify the [Ca(2+)]in dynamics in response to direct current or alternating current electric fields. Simulation results demonstrate that the changes in [Ca(2+)]in predicted by our dynamic model are consistent with the experimental data in the literature. The proposed dynamic model could provide not only more insights into the electric-field-induced intracellular Ca(2+) response but also a quantitative way to regulate the [Ca(2+)]in dynamics by controlling the external electrical stimulation.