Decreasing the thresholds for electroporation by sensitizing cells with local cationic anesthetics and substances...

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cell electroporation uses electric fields to alter cell membranes.
• Developing methods to enhance electroporation efficiency is crucial for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify non-toxic substances that sensitize cells to electric fields for improved electroporation.
• To investigate the potential of these sensitizers in cancer therapy and drug delivery.

Main Methods:

• Applied a flow-through direct current electric field (dcEF) method for cell electroporation.
• Tested local cationic anesthetics (procaine, lidocaine, tetracaine) and cationic dyes (9-aminoacridine, toluidine blue) as cell sensitizers.
• Measured changes in electric field thresholds for irreversible and reversible electroporation, and dye uptake.

Main Results:

• Local anesthetics reduced the required electric field strength by 50% for cell death and dye introduction.
• Cationic dyes also decreased electric field thresholds for both irreversible and reversible electroporation.
• Identified procaine, lidocaine, tetracaine, 9-aminoacridine, and toluidine blue as effective, non-toxic cell sensitizers.

Conclusions:

• Non-toxic cationic substances can significantly enhance cell electroporation.
• These findings support the development of improved cancer ablation techniques and intracellular delivery methods.