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Nonlinear Dispersive Model of Electroporation for Irregular Nucleated Cells
Michele Alessandro Chiapperino1, Pietro Bia2, Diego Caratelli3
1Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Bioelectromagnetics
|June 11, 2019
Summary
A new multiphysics model reveals that dispersive models are essential for accurately simulating electroporation in irregular biological cells, especially with short electric pulses. This improves understanding of transmembrane voltage and pore formation.
Area of Science:
- Bioelectromagnetics
- Computational Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Electroporation, a process involving cell membrane permeabilization by electric fields, is crucial for various biological and medical applications.
- Understanding cell membrane behavior under pulsed electric fields is vital for optimizing electroporation outcomes.
- Existing models often simplify cell geometry and electrical properties, potentially limiting accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a comprehensive multiphysics model for studying electroporation in nucleated biological cells.
- To investigate the impact of cell shape irregularity and dielectric dispersion on electroporation dynamics.
- To compare the predictive capabilities of dispersive versus non-dispersive models for electroporation.
Main Methods:
- Developed a nonlinear, non-local, space-time multiphysics model integrating Maxwell's and Smoluchowski's equations.
- Incorporated Gielis curves to represent irregular cell shapes and multi-relaxation Debye models for cell media dielectric dispersion.
- Numerically simulated electroporation in two distinct irregular nucleated cell types using both dispersive and non-dispersive approaches.
Main Results:
- The model accurately calculates transmembrane voltage and pore density on plasma and nuclear membranes.
- Simulations highlight significant differences between dispersive and non-dispersive model predictions.
- The dispersive model is crucial for accurately predicting cell response, including electroporation opening angle, particularly for irregular cells and short pulses.
Conclusions:
- Dispersive models are necessary for accurate electroporation simulation in complex biological systems.
- The developed multiphysics model provides a robust framework for investigating cell membrane electropermeabilization.
- Accurate modeling is essential for advancing applications relying on pulsed electric field-induced electroporation.
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