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Patch Clamp

Patch Clamp

Many fundamental cell functions such as muscle contraction and nerve transmission rely on the electrical signals produced by the movement of positively and negatively charged ions across the cell membrane. One competent method to record current flowing across the whole cell or single ion channel is the patch-clamp technique.
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Whole-cell Patch-clamp Recordings in Brain Slices

Whole-cell Patch-clamp Recordings in Brain Slices

Published on: June 15, 2016

Minimizing cytosol dilution in whole-cell patch-clamp experiments.

Samsoon Inayat¹, Lawrence H Pinto, John B Troy

¹Biomedical Engineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. sam@northwestern.edu

IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering

|March 1, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a novel pipette holder to minimize cytosol dilution during patch clamp experiments, significantly improving signal integrity. This method enhances electrophysiological recordings by reducing the loss of intracellular molecules.

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Area of Science:

Electrophysiology
Cell Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Whole-cell patch clamp experiments suffer from significant cytosol dilution, reducing signal quality.
Conventional methods to mitigate dilution have limitations, including measurement errors and restricted experimental designs.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a novel pipette holder designed to minimize cytosol dilution in whole-cell patch clamp recordings.
To overcome the limitations of existing methods for preventing cytosol diffusion.

Main Methods:

A novel pipette holder was developed, utilizing mineral oil to replace most of the pipette solution after achieving cell-attached configuration.
The setup incorporates a suction line and two Ag/AgCl electrodes within the pipette.
Experiments were conducted using Chinese Hamster Ovarian cells.

Main Results:

The novel method achieved cytosol dilution factors ranging from 76 to 234.
For large cells (soma > 40 μm), dilution factors of 10 or less were attainable.
This technique effectively minimizes the loss of diffusible cytosolic ions and molecules.

Conclusions:

The developed pipette holder offers a significant improvement for whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology.
This method enhances signal fidelity by drastically reducing cytosol dilution.
It provides a more robust approach for studying cellular function without compromising experimental design.