Electroporation of cells is successfully used in biology, biotechnology and medicine. Practical problems still arise in the electroporation of cells in suspension. For example, the determination of cell electroporation is still a demanding and time-consuming task. Electric pulses also cause contamination of the solution by the metal released from the electrodes and create local enhancements of the electric field, leading to the occurrence of electrochemical reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface. In our study, we investigated the possibility of assessing modifications to the cell environment caused by pulsed electric fields using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We designed an experimental protocol to elucidate the mechanism by which a pulsed electric field affects the electrode state in relation to different electrolyte conductivities at the interface. The results show that a pulsed electric field affects electrodes and its degree depends on the electrolyte conductivity. Evolution of the electrochemical reaction rate depends on the initial free charges and those generated by the pulsed electric field. In the presence of biological cells, the initial free charges in the medium are reduced. The electrical current path at low frequency is longer, i.e., conductivity is decreased, even in the presence of increased permeability of the cell membrane created by the pulsed electric field.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2015.08.002 | DOI Listing |
Sci Adv
January 2025
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Electrical stimulation of existing three-dimensional bioprinted tissues to alter tissue activities is typically associated with wired delivery, invasive electrode placement, and potential cell damage, minimizing its efficacy in cardiac modulation. Here, we report an optoelectronically active scaffold based on printed gelatin methacryloyl embedded with micro-solar cells, seeded with cardiomyocytes to form light-stimulable tissues. This enables untethered, noninvasive, and damage-free optoelectronic stimulation-induced modulation of cardiac beating behaviors without needing wires or genetic modifications to the tissue solely with light.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
January 2025
James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
The time-resolved detection of mid- to far-infrared electric fields absorbed and emitted by molecules is among the most sensitive spectroscopic approaches and has the potential to transform sensing in fields such as security screening, quality control, and medical diagnostics. However, the sensitivity of the standard detection approach, which relies on encoding the far-infrared electric field into amplitude modulation of a visible or near-infrared probe laser pulse, is limited by the shot noise of the latter. This constraint cannot be overcome without using a quantum resource.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Organic photodetectors (OPDs) are key devices for monitoring vital signs, such as heart rate and blood oxygen level. For realizing the long-term measurement of biosignals, stable operation is essential. To improve the stability of OPDs, it is important to analyze each layer to understand the degradation mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxins (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Technicka 3, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic.
fungi are widespread pathogens of food crops, primarily associated with the formation of mycotoxins. Therefore, effective mitigation strategies for these toxicogenic microorganisms are required. In this study, the potential of pulsed electric field (PEF) as an advanced technology of increasing use in the food processing industry was investigated to minimize the viability of pathogens and to characterize the PEF-induced changes at the metabolomic level.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiovasc Dev Dis
December 2024
Department of Cardiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is a catheter-based procedure that utilizes short high voltage and short-duration electrical field pulses to induce tissue injury. The last decade has yielded significant scientific progress and quickened interest in PFA as an energy modality leading to the emergence of the clinical use of PFA technologies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. It is generally agreed that more research is needed to improve our biophysical understanding of PFA for clinical cardiac applications as well as its potential as a potential alternative energy source to thermal ablation modalities for the treatment of other arrhythmias.
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