Abstract
Electroporation is used to increase the permeability of the cell membrane through high-voltage electric pulses. Nowadays, it is widely used in different areas, such as medicine, biotechnology, and the food industry. Electroporation induces the formation of hydrophilic pores in the lipid bilayer of cell membranes, to allow the entry or exit of molecules that cannot otherwise cross this hydrophobic barrier. In this article, we critically review the basic principles of electroporation, along with the advantages and drawbacks of this method. We discuss the effects of electroporation on the key components of biological membranes, as well as the main applications of this procedure in medicine, such as electrochemotherapy, gene electrotransfer, and tissue ablation. Finally, we define the most relevant challenges of this promising area of research.
Highlights
Cell membrane electroporation, known as electropermeabilization,[1] is an effective method for internalization of various molecules into biological cells, with increasing number of applications in oncology,[2,3] gene therapy,[4,5,6] tissue ablation,[7,8,9] food technology[10,11] and nanotechnology.[12]Electroporation depends on the nature of the molecular constituents of biological membranes and their behavior in electric field
Electroporation leads to increased permeability of the cell membrane as a consequence of the application of electric pulses
The external electric field induces a drop in the electric potential across the lipid bilayer, which leads to the formation of hydrophilic pores in the bilayer.[43]
Summary
Known as electropermeabilization,[1] is an effective method for internalization of various molecules into biological cells, with increasing number of applications in oncology,[2,3] gene therapy,[4,5,6] tissue ablation,[7,8,9] food technology[10,11] and nanotechnology.[12]. The cell membrane provides a selective barrier due to its unique structure, which consists mainly of amphiphilic phospholipid molecules. These form a continuous double layer (the ‘phospholipid bilayer’) that has a profoundly hydrophobic core. It is intercalated between the lipid tails of the adjacent phospholipid molecules in the phospholipid bilayer increasing their ordering In this way, it reduces membrane fluidity.[15,21] Glycolipids (e.g., gangliosides) are very important cell-surface markers that serve as specific determinants for cellular recognition and cell-tocell communication, and as receptors for different biomolecules. Due to the membrane exposure to pulsed electric field, pores are formed in the cell membrane and increase its conductance for various hydrophilic molecules, such as peptides, nu-
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