Electroporation on microchips: the harmful effects of pH changes and scaling down.

ABSTRACT: Electroporation has been widely used in delivering foreign biomolecules into cells, but there is still much room for improvement, such as cell viability and integrity. In this manuscript, we investigate the distribution and the toxicity of pH changes during electroporation, which significantly decreases cell viability. A localized pH gradient forms between anode and cathode leading to a localized distribution of cell death near the electrodes, especially cathodes. The toxicity of hydroxyl ions is severe and acute due to their effect in the decomposition of phospholipid bilayer membrane. On the other hand, the electric field used for electroporation aggravates the toxicity of hydroxyl because the electropermeabilization of cell membrane makes bilayer structure more loosen and vulnerable. We

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4677314 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature