Biophysical Journal 66: 700-709 (1994)
© 1994 the Biophysical Society

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An improved double vaseline gap voltage clamp to study electroporated skeletal muscle fibers.

Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637.

ABSTRACT

An improved voltage clamp with a double vaseline gap chamber was designed to study electroporated skeletal muscle fibers. The new clamp eliminated spike overshock of membrane potential when applying step stimulation occurring in the traditional configuration. It allowed greater consistency in membrane potential distribution. After the intracellular resistances of the fiber segment at the vaseline gap area were compensated, it was possible to change membrane potential more quickly. Using this technique, strong electrical pulses used to mimic the situation of electrical shock can be delivered to the cell membrane by voltage clamp. Transmembrane currents of skeletal muscle cell were simultaneously measured during a high pulsed shock and resolved into different components. Distinct transient changes of the transmembrane current, involving the time courses of the formation of electroporation and their recovery time constants, can be recorded. Because of more even membrane potential distribution and faster response to pulsed membrane potential change, this technique is also suitable for membrane study under physiological conditions.