Pulse Voltage Electrical Stimulation for Bacterial Inactivation and Wound Healing in Mice with Diabetes

BACKGROUND: Treatment of wounds in diabetes often gets less than perfect healing. One of the reasons for the difficulty in treating wounds in diabetes is the growth of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. This study aims to determine the pulse voltage and treatment time that can optimally inactivate bacteria, and their effect on wound healing in mice suffering from diabetes. METHODS: The study used electrical stimulation with a direct voltage of 10 volts given a pulse voltage of 50–80 volts, a width of 50 μs, and the number of pulses of 65 per second. The research samples were Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bacteria that grew on beef and mice (Mus musculus) with diabetes. The treatment for S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacteria was carried out using a pulse voltage of 50–80 volts for 5–15 min/day and repeated for 3 days. Meanwhile, treatment of mice wounds was carried out with a pulse voltage of 80 volts for 15 min/day and repeated for 7 days. RESULTS: The results showed that treatment with a pulse voltage of 50–80 volts and a treatment time of 5–15 min significantly reduced the number of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacteria in beef (p≤0.05). Treatment with a pulse voltage of 80 volts for 15 min made beef free from bacteria. Meanwhile, treatment with a pulse voltage of 80 volts for 15 min per day for seven days resulted in the wound state of three mice in the maturation phase and two mice in the proliferation phase on day 8 with an average wound area of 0.108 cm (2). CONCLUSION: The treatment with a pulse voltage of 80 volts for 15 min made the beef sterile, the mice wounds healed quickly, and the mice not stressed. The higher the blood glucose level, the slower the wound healing process.