Simulation of electroporation threshold based on the evolution of transmembrane potential and pore density

To study the electric field threshold of electroporation of real cell membrane structures under the action of the pulsed electric field, in this article, a finite element model of the real cell containing endoplasmic reticulum and nucleus was constructed in real cell staining images by cluster segmentation and edge extraction techniques. The electroporation equation was introduced into the real cell model to calculate the threshold value of different membrane structures for electroporation under a pulsed electric field. The results showed that the transmembrane potentials of the cell membrane, endoplasmic reticulum membrane, and nuclear membrane reached the electroporation thresholds at 1.2, 2.6, and 2.9 kV/cm, while the pore density thresholds were 1.7 × 10¹⁴/m², 3.2 × 10¹⁴/m², and 3.5 × 10¹⁴/m², respectively. Under a single pulse with a pulse width of 100 μs and rise and fall times of 10 μs, the pore density reaches the electroporation threshold at 1.7, 3.2 and 3.5 kV/cm, respectively.