Cell electroporation .1. Theoretical simulation of the process of pore formation in a cell

Abstract

A kinetic model of cell electroporation is presented. The creation and resealing of metastable pores are described as random one-step processes. Two cases are analysed: A, the transmembrane potential DELTAPHI(m) is the same at all points on the cell surface; B, DELTAPHI(m) produced by an external electric field depends on the membrane site. On the basis of the presented model, the following characteristics of cell electroporation for these two cases are obtained: (i) the dependences of the probability that a cell is porated, F(p), and the average number of pores per cell, nBAR, on the pulse duration tau(i) at a fixed electric field strength E0, i.e. F(p)(tau(i)) and nBAR(tau(i)); (ii) the dependences of F(p) and nBAR on the field strength E0 at a fixed pulse length tau(i), i.e. F(p)(E0) and nBAR(E0). General equations describing the dependences of F(p) and nBAR on both parameters, i.e. F(p)(E0, tau(i)) and nBAR(E0, tau(i)), are also derived.