Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Publication Title

PLoS ONE

Volume

11

Issue

7

Pages

1-19

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0159434

Abstract

Electroporation-induced cell sensitization was described as the occurrence of a delayed hypersensitivity to electric pulses caused by pretreating cells with electric pulses. It was achieved by increasing the duration of the electroporation treatment at the same cumulative energy input. It could be exploited in electroporation-based treatments such as electrochemotherapy and tissue ablation with irreversible electroporation. The mechanisms responsible for cell sensitization, however, have not yet been identified. We investigated cell sensitization dynamics in five different electroporation buffers. We split a pulse train into two trains varying the delay between them and measured the propidium uptake by fluorescence microscopy. By fitting the first-order model to the experimental results, we determined the uptake due to each train (i.e. the first and the second) and the corresponding resealing constant. Cell sensitization was observed in the growth medium but not in other tested buffers. The effect of pulse repetition frequency, cell size change, cytoskeleton disruption and calcium influx do not adequately explain cell sensitization. Based on our results, we can conclude that cell sensitization is a sum of several processes and is buffer dependent. Further research is needed to determine its generality and to identify underlying mechanisms.

Original Publication Citation

Dermol, J., Pakhomova, O.N., Pakhomov, A.G., & Miklavčič, D. (2016). Cell electrosensitization exists only in certain electroporation buffers. PLoS ONE, 11(7), 1-19. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159434

ORCID

0000-0003-4950-4130 (Pakhomova, O.), 0000-0003-3506-9449 (Miklavčič)

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