Size of the pores created by an electric pulse : microsecond vs millisecond pulses

Abstract

Modeling studies have revealed that the pulse of nanosecond-duration should create smaller pores than the pulse of micro-millisecond duration. It can be expected, that similar differences may also exist between the pore populations created by the pulses of micro- and millisecond-durations. Here, the size of the pores created by a single square-wave electric pulse with different durations has been compared. In the large portion (30-60 %) of electroporated mouse hepatoma MH-22A and Chinese hamster ovary cells the pores created by an electric pulse with the duration of 100 s are smaller than the molecule of bleomycin. In the case of 2 ms-duration pulse, irrespective of the amplitude of an electric pulse, in almost all cells, which were electroporated, the pores created were larger than the size of the molecules of bleomycin. The pulses with the duration of 100 s and 2 ms were used. For the cells studied, short 100 s-duration pulse created smaller pores than longer 2 ms-duration pulse.