Water influx and cell swelling after nanosecond electropermeabilization

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) are crucial for cell membrane permeabilization in various applications.
• Existing molecular and continuum models lack a direct link to experimental observations of biomolecular transformations.
• Bridging the gap between molecular dynamics simulations and macroscopic cellular responses is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize plasma membrane electropermeabilization in Jurkat T lymphoblasts using short electric pulses.
• To establish a quantitative link between simulated and experimentally measured ion and water transport across permeabilized membranes.
• To provide a foundation for validating computational models of electropermeabilization.

Main Methods:

• Exposing Jurkat T lymphoblasts to pulsed electric fields (<10 ns duration).
• Monitoring osmotically driven cell swelling as a function of pulse number and repetition rate.
• Estimating ion and water flux based on swelling kinetics.

Main Results:

• A single 5 ns, 10 MV/m pulse induced measurable cell swelling in Jurkat T lymphoblasts.
• Estimated ion and water flux values were derived from the observed swelling kinetics.
• Determined membrane conductance boundaries consistent with nanopore model predictions.

Conclusions:

• Experimental electropermeabilization data can be quantitatively linked to molecular dynamics simulations.
• The study provides a framework for validating models of water and ion transport through PEF-induced nanopores.
• Findings contribute to a deeper understanding of cell membrane behavior under pulsed electric fields.