Analysis of the Electric Field-Dependent Current During Electroporation Pulses

Yanpeng Lv,Boris Rubinsky,Hongmei Liu,Xian Cheng,Chenguo Yao,Shuo Chen,Yilin Wang

doi:10.1109/access.2020.2995151

Abstract

When delivered across a cell, certain pulsed electric fields can cause an increase in the cell membrane permeability through a biophysical process known as electroporation. The current signals during the electric pulses could be used as a method for noninvasive electroporation measurement because of the sharp change in the conductivity of cells due to electroporation. To add to the existing knowledge on electroporation current signals under different pulse parameters, we undertook a study in which the electric current across the cells was recorded during electroporation pulses. The experimental current response to a pulsed electric field consisted of three stages: a) a rapid initial increase followed by b) an exponential decrease and then c) a monotonic increase. The rise time of the current signals was not affected by the intensity of the electric field or the number of pulses. However, the time at which the current increased again, deemed the electroporation onset time, shortened as the electric field became more intense and as the number of pulses increased. The transient conductivity change rate, defined to describe the electroporation degree during the pulse, increased under a higher electric field strength. However, the transient conductivity change rate first decreased and then gradually increased with additional pulses. This work may provide insight into the change in current during real-time electroporation detection.

Highlights

Electroporation is used widely in biological research and for medical applications [1]
Figure 2 shows the current signals from DMEM with and without cells during an electric pulse
When a pulsed electric field is applied to the cell suspension, the current initially increases and quickly decreases exponentially, similar to the pattern for DMEM alone; at this point, the current starts to increase again with the cell suspension before stabilizing, which is different from the pattern with DMEM alone

Summary

Introduction

Electroporation is used widely in biological research and for medical applications [1]. Cells are exposed to a pulsed electric field to change the structure of the cell membrane to markedly increase membrane permeability [2]. There is general agreement in the literature that the electric field creates pores in the cell membrane, which significantly increases the transport of ions and molecules across the cell membrane. This is why the process is termed electroporation [3]. The term ‘‘electropermeabilization’’ is used to describe this process and emphasize the increased cell permeability. After the electric field has ceased, the pores (permeabilization) may persist for a few seconds to a few minutes, and the cell returns to

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion