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Pipette-surface interaction: current enhancement and intrinsic force.

Richard W Clarke¹, Alexander Zhukov, Owen Richards

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom. rwc25@cam.ac.uk

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|December 6, 2012

Summary

Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) uses glass nanopipettes to image live cells. This study resolves surface interaction theories in high salt, enabling better cell imaging and revealing novel electrokinetic effects.

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Area of Science:

Surface science
Colloid science
Biophysics

Background:

Noninvasive scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) relies on overcoming surface repulsion between glass nanopipettes and cell membranes.
Standard Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory accurately describes surface interactions at low salt concentrations but requires reconciliation for physiological, high-salt environments.
Forming gigaseals for patch clamping ion channel investigations necessitates overcoming these repulsive forces.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the interactions between glass nanopipettes and various surfaces in high-salt physiological solutions.
To reconcile discrepancies between experimental observations and DLVO theory in high-salt regimes.
To demonstrate the practical application of this understanding in advancing SICM techniques for live cell imaging.

Main Methods:

Experimental investigation of glass nanopipette interactions with diverse surfaces in electrolyte solutions.
Application of insights to topographic mapping of live cell cytoskeletons using SICM.
Analysis of ion current behavior near insulating surfaces to identify electrokinetic phenomena.

Main Results:

A framework is proposed to reconcile DLVO theory with experimental surface interactions in high-salt conditions.
The study successfully employed enhanced understanding for topographic mapping of a live cell's cytoskeleton via SICM.
An unexpected increase in ion current upon approaching insulating surfaces was observed and attributed to electroosmotic flow separation.

Conclusions:

The research provides crucial insights into fundamental surface interactions within strong electrolyte solutions.
Understanding these interactions is vital for optimizing SICM performance and applications in cell biology.
The discovery of high-salt electrokinetic effects like electroosmotic flow separation opens new avenues for research.