Simulations of calcium related signaling in response to ultrasound stimulations

Abstract

As an important second messenger implicated in a wide variety of intracellular signaling and regulatory pathways, cytoplasmic calcium transients are likely involved in the recognition and transduction of extracellular signals. In this work, the calcium transients and related signaling induced by low-intensity ultrasound stimulations were mathematically simulated. The results reproduced the characteristics of elevated intracellular calcium ion transients induced by low-intensity ultrasound and made it clear that the peak level of the transients would increase sharply with the intensity above a certain value as 1200 mW/cm 2 because of the limited capabilities of cell extrusion mechanisms, which might cause cell damage.