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The effects of intense submicrosecond electrical pulses on cells
Jingdong Deng1, Karl H Schoenbach, E Stephen Buescher
1Physical Electronics Research Institute, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA.
Biophysical Journal
|April 2, 2003
Summary
Short electrical pulses (nanosecond range) affect living cells differently than longer microsecond pulses. Nanosecond pulses cause delayed, varied cell membrane permeability changes, unlike immediate effects from microsecond pulses.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Electrophysiology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Electrical models predict altered cell interactions with shorter electric pulse durations.
- Understanding electroporation mechanisms is crucial for cell manipulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally validate the hypothesis that sub-microsecond electrical pulses have distinct cellular effects.
- To investigate the impact of nanosecond versus microsecond electrical pulses on cell membrane permeability and integrity.
Main Methods:
- Applying electrical pulses (60 ns to 100 µs) to Jurkat cells in physiologic buffer.
- Utilizing propidium iodide uptake assay to assess membrane permeability.
- Employing time-resolved fluorescence and light microscopy for cellular observation.
Main Results:
- Microsecond pulses induced immediate propidium iodide uptake, indicative of rapid electroporation.
- Nanosecond pulses (especially 60 ns) resulted in delayed and heterogeneous propidium iodide uptake.
- Cellular swelling was rapid after microsecond pulses but minimal after nanosecond pulses.
Conclusions:
- Sub-microsecond electrical pulses induce temporally distinct cellular effects compared to microsecond pulses.
- Nanosecond pulses cause delayed and heterogeneous membrane permeability changes, differing from the rapid, homogeneous effects of microsecond pulses.
- The findings highlight the importance of pulse duration in electrical cell stimulation and manipulation.