Protein Diffusion in Electroporation-Based Biopsy: Quantifying Protein Transport From Human Skin for Skin Liquid...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Biophysics
• Dermatology

Background:

• Electroporation-based biopsy (e-biopsy) offers a minimally invasive method for extracting tissue proteins.
• Quantifying protein diffusion is crucial for optimizing e-biopsy procedures but has not been performed in human tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify apparent diffusion coefficients (D) for total proteins released from human skin biopsy samples (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and healthy skin) following e-biopsy.
• To investigate the influence of pulsed electric field strength and tissue type on protein diffusion.

Main Methods:

• Coupled time-resolved aqueous sampling with a one-dimensional Fickian slab model.
• Measured total protein concentrations from excised human skin samples over 0.5 to 30 minutes.
• Utilized ANOVA to analyze the effects of field strength and tissue type on diffusion coefficients.

Main Results:

• Apparent diffusion coefficients (D) at baseline (0 V/mm) ranged from 0.026-0.029 mm²/min across all tissue types.
• A significant effect of electric field strength on D was observed (p=0.001).
• Tissue type (p=0.715) and the interaction between field strength and tissue type (p=0.395) did not significantly affect D.
• Approximately 80% of extractable proteins can be recovered within 3-5 minutes after pulsed field application.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first human measurements of diffusion coefficients for protein release from skin and skin cancers using e-biopsy.
• Protein diffusion is tunable by pulsed electric field strength, offering a parameter for protocol optimization.
• Sampling time is a critical factor for maximizing protein recovery in e-biopsy protocols, with 3-5 minutes being optimal.