Modelling single cell electroporation with bipolar pulse: Simulating dependance of electroporated fractional pore area on the bipolar field frequency

Abstract

Electroporation EP, in which external electric field pulses create transient pores in a cell membrane, is an important technique for delivery of DNA and drugs into the cell. To enable entry of DNA into cells, the pores should have sufficiently large radii, remain open long enough for the DNA chain to enter the cell, and should not cause membrane rupture. A numerical model for a single spherical cell electroporated by application of direct and/or alternating external electric field pulses has been developed. The model is used to calculate the transmembrane potential, the number of pores and the the fraction of area occupied by the pores (fractional pore area FPA) in response to the various electric field pulses. Presented here are simulation results used to compare the extent of electroporation (fractional pore area FPA) in response to eletric field pulses of different frequencies in a range of extracellular conductivity for two cell raii. It is also observed that a 1 MHz bipolar sinusoidal applied electric field pulse reduces the relative difference in fractional pore area between the two cell sizes compared to a 100 kHz pulse.