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Electroporation dependence on cell size: optical tweezers study.

Brian E Henslee1, Andrew Morss, Xin Hu

  • 1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.

Analytical Chemistry
|April 9, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Electropermeabilization, or electroporation, uses electric fields to create pores in cell membranes for therapy delivery. Contrary to expectations, cell size does not influence the electric field needed for electropermeabilization.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Electropermeabilization (electroporation) is a key technique for intracellular delivery.
  • The fundamental science and influencing factors of electropermeabilization remain poorly understood.
  • Existing theories often assume cell size impacts electroporation efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cell size and the electric field required for electropermeabilization.
  • To challenge established assumptions in electroporation theory.
  • To provide precise, repeatable measurements for suspended cells.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized optical tweezers for precise positioning of individual suspended cells.
  • Measured the minimum applied electric field for electropermeabilization across three distinct cell lines.

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  • Varied cell radius to assess its impact on permeabilization thresholds.

    • Main Results:

    • Found that the minimum electric field for electropermeabilization is cell-line specific, not size-dependent.
    • Demonstrated that cell size does not correlate with the electric field threshold for permeabilization.
    • Confirmed electropermeabilization as a stochastic process with variable thresholds between cells.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings contradict the widely held assumption that larger cells are easier to electroporate.
    • Cell-line specific electrical properties, rather than size, dictate electropermeabilization thresholds.
    • This study necessitates a re-evaluation of current theoretical models of electropermeabilization.