The Galvanotactic Migration of Keratinocytes is Enhanced by Hypoxic Preconditioning

The endogenous electric field (EF)-directed migration of keratinocytes (galvanotaxis) into wounds is an essential step in wound re-epithelialization. Hypoxia, which occurs immediately after injury, acts as an early stimulus to initiate the healing process; however, the mechanisms for this effect, remain elusive. We show here that the galvanotactic migration of keratinocytes was enhanced by hypoxia preconditioning as a result of the increased directionality rather than the increased motility of keratinocytes. This enhancement was both oxygen tension- and preconditioning time-dependent, with the maximum effects achieved using 2% O 2 preconditioning for 6 hours. Hypoxic preconditioning (2% O 2 , 6 hours) decreased the threshold voltage of galvanotaxis to