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Updated: Jul 15, 2025
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Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment
Published on: May 18, 2021
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Finite Element Evaluation of the Electric Field Distribution in a Non-Homogeneous Environment
Elisabetta Sieni1,2, Monica Dettin3, Annj Zamuner4
1Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, Via Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 28, 2023
Summary
Media inhomogeneity significantly impacts electric fields and cell membrane potential during electroporation. Increased cell aggregation and collagen presence enhance transmembrane potential, improving electroporation efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Computational Biology
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Electroporation is a key technique for cell manipulation.
- Understanding electric field distribution in complex biological media is crucial for optimizing electroporation.
- Cellular microenvironments, including extracellular matrix (ECM) composition and cell density, influence electroporation outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of media inhomogeneity on electric field distribution and transmembrane potential during high pulsed electric field exposure.
- To analyze how varying degrees of cell aggregation and extracellular matrix composition (collagen, myxoid matrix) affect cell membrane potential.
- To validate numerical simulation results with experimental data.
Main Methods:
- Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to model electric field distribution.
- A representative model with variable cell-cell distances (1-283 µm) simulated inhomogeneity.
- Extracellular medium conductivity was varied using collagen, myxoid matrix, and their combinations.
- Transmembrane potential was calculated under electroporation conditions.
- Simulations were validated using HCC1954 cells cultured in hyaluronic acid-based scaffolds.
Main Results:
- Higher cell aggregation led to an increased transmembrane potential.
- The presence of cell aggregates and collagen significantly affected transmembrane potential.
- Increased cell aggregation, in both collagen and myxoid matrix conditions, resulted in higher transmembrane potential.
- Experimental validation confirmed that collagen presence enhances electroporation at lower electric field intensities.
Conclusions:
- Media inhomogeneity, particularly cell aggregation and collagen content, plays a critical role in modulating electric field distribution and transmembrane potential during electroporation.
- FEA is a valuable tool for predicting cell behavior under electroporation in complex biological environments.
- The findings suggest that optimizing ECM composition and cell density can enhance electroporation efficiency for therapeutic applications.
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