Effect of cell electroporation on the conductivity of a cell suspension
Mojca Pavlin 1, Masa Kanduser 1, Matej Rebersek 1, Gorazd Pucihar 1, Francis X Hart 2, Ratko Magjarevic, 3 and Damijan Miklavcic 1*
1 University of Ljubljana
2 University of The South Sewanee
3 University of Zagreb
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: damijan{at}svarun.fe.uni-lj.si.
Submitted on July 5, 2004
Revised on August 31, 2004
Accepted on 24 January 2005
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Abstract |
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An increased permeability of a cell membrane during the application of high-voltage pulses results in increased transmembrane transport of molecules which otherwise can not enter the cell. Increased permeability of a cell membrane is accompanied by increased membrane conductivity thus by measuring electric conductivity the extent of permeabilized tissue could be monitored in real-time. In this paper the effect of cell electroporation caused by high-voltage pulses on the conductivity of a cell suspension was studied by current-voltage measurements during and impedance measurement before and after the pulse application. At the same time the percentage of permeabilized and survived cells was determined and the extent of osmotic swelling measured. For a train of eight pulses a transient increase in conductivity of a cell suspension was obtained above permeabilization threshold in low- and high-conductive medium with complete relaxation in less than one second. Total conductivity changes and impedance measurements showed substantial changes in conductivity due to the ion efflux in low-conductive medium and colloid-osmotic swelling in both media. Our results show that by measuring electric conductivity during the pulses we can detect limit permeabilization threshold but not directly permeabilization level, whereas impedance measurements in seconds after the pulse application are not suitable.
Key Words:
bioimpedance, conductivity, electrochemotherapy, electrogenetherapy, electropermeabilization, electroporation
