# Local administration of low-intensity vibration improves wound healing in diabetic mice

**Authors:** Rita E. Roberts, Jacqueline Cavalcante-Silva, Onur Bilgen, Rhonda D. Kineman, Timothy J. Koh

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2026.1731310 · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · 2026-02-06

## TL;DR

Applying low-intensity vibration locally improves wound healing in diabetic mice, offering a non-invasive treatment option.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that local low-intensity vibration can enhance diabetic wound healing independently of the delivery method.

## Key findings

- Local LIV improved angiogenesis and wound closure in diabetic mice.
- Piezoelectric devices produced significant healing effects with lower accelerations.
- VEGF levels increased with LIV, but IGF1 levels varied by protocol.

## Abstract

Chronic wounds related to diabetes incur significant morbidity and mortality, yet few effective therapies are available. Although whole body low-intensity vibration (LIV) has been shown to improve angiogenesis and wound healing in diabetic mice, local application of LIV signals could enhance the utility of this therapeutic approach.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of different treatment regimens involving local LIV applied to wounds of diabetic mice via oscillating motor, or by a wearable piezoelectric device.

Local LIV delivered by oscillating motor enhanced angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation and wound closure to a similar degree for all vibration protocols tested. In addition, local LIV induced protocol-dependent increases in wound IGF1 and VEGF levels that did not necessarily correlate with the effects on healing. LIV delivered by piezoelectric disks involved accelerations that were an order of magnitude smaller than those delivered by the oscillating motor, but produced significant increases in angiogenesis and granulation tissue formation, with trends of enhanced wound closure. These changes were associated with increased VEGF but not IGF1 levels.

These findings demonstrate that local delivery of LIV can enhance key aspects of diabetic wound healing, highlighting its potential as a non-invasive method for improving healing of chronic diabetic wounds.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** IGF1 (insulin like growth factor 1), VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A)
- **Diseases:** diabetes (MONDO:0005015)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (taxon 10090)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Pecam1 (platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 18613] {aka Cd31, PECAM-1, Pecam}, Igf1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) [NCBI Gene 16000] {aka C730016P09Rik, Igf-1, Igf-I}, Adgre1 (adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E1) [NCBI Gene 13733] {aka DD7A5-7, EGF-TM7, Emr1, F4/80, Gpf480, Ly71}, Vegfa (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 83785] {aka VEGF-A, VEGF111, VEGF164, VPF, Vegf}, VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 7422] {aka L-VEGF, MVCD1, VEGF, VPF}, Vegfa (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 22339] {aka L-VEGF, Vegf, Vpf}, PECAM1 (platelet and endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 5175] {aka CD31, CD31/EndoCAM, GPIIA', PECA1, PECAM-1, endoCAM}, Ly6g (lymphocyte antigen 6 family member G) [NCBI Gene 546644] {aka Gr-1, Gr1, Ly-6G}
- **Diseases:** dislocation (MESH:D004204), type 2 diabetes (MESH:D003924), pressure ulcers (MESH:D003668), obese (MESH:D009765), Diabetic (MESH:D003920), Chronic wounds (MESH:D014947), inflammation (MESH:D007249), hyperglycemia (MESH:D006943)
- **Chemicals:** eosin (MESH:D004801), PBS (MESH:D007854), alcohol (MESH:D000438), glucose (MESH:D005947), LIV (-), hematoxylin (MESH:D006416), blood glucose (MESH:D001786), isoflurane (MESH:D007530), streptozotocin (MESH:D013311), nitrogen (MESH:D009584), fat (MESH:D005223)
- **Species:** Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Avihepevirus magniiecur (species) [taxon 1678144], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090]

## Full text

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## Figures

7 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12920578/full.md

## References

25 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12920578/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12920578