A brief overview of electroporation pulse strength–duration space: A region where additional intracellular effects are expected

Abstract

Electroporation (EP) of outer cell membranes is widely used in research, biotechnology and medicine. Now intracellular effects by organelle EP are of growing interest, mainly due to nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF). For perspective, here we provide an approximate overview of EP pulse strength-duration space. This overview locates approximately some known effects and applications in strength-duration space, and includes a region where additional intracellular EP effects are expected. A feature of intracellular EP is direct, electrical redistribution of endogenous biochemicals among cellular compartments. For example, intracellular EP may initiate a multistep process for apoptosis. In this hypothesis, initial EP pulses release calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum, followed by calcium redistribution within the cytoplasm. With further EP pulses calcium penetrates mitochondrial membranes and causes changes that trigger release of cytochrome-c and other death molecules. Apoptosis may therefore occur even in the presence of apoptotic inhibitors, using pulses that are smaller, but longer, than nsPEF.

A Microdosimetric Study of Electropulsation on Multiple Realistically Shaped Cells: Effect of Neighbours

“…Ultrashort-pulsed electric fields with durations of the order of microseconds (lsPEFs) or nanoseconds (nsPEFs), and amplitudes from a few kV/m up to tens of MV/m, can be used to investigate biological responses at tissue level (Breton and Mir 2012;Weaver et al 2012;Joshi and Schoenbach 2010;Jiang et al 2015). The main action of the pulse is to increase cell membrane permeability and the entry of molecules that, under normal physiological conditions, could not cross the membrane barrier (Neumann and Rosenheck 1972;Tieleman 2004;Casciola et al 2014;Kotnik et al 2010).…”

Folate Conjugated Cellulose Nanocrystals Potentiate Irreversible Electroporation-induced Cytotoxicity for the Selective Treatment of Cancer Cells

“…At the membrane scale, the exact mechanisms behind IRE are not fully understood (8,9). When cells experience short and intense electrical pulses, there are position-dependent changes in the transmembrane potential that vary based on the cell radius and intensity of the electric field (10).…”

Electrical breakdown in tissue electroporation

“…The permeabilization can be reversible or irreversible, as a function of electric field parameters such as strength, duration and shape [3]. The strength of the electric fields in irreversible electroporation is several factors higher than in reversible electroporation, and the treatment entails the application of up to hundreds of microsecond and nanosecond electric pulses [4]. Reversible electroporation is used for insertion of drugs, genes and large molecules into the permeabilized cells, both in vitro and in vivo.…”