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Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Ion Transport Through Electrically Stressed Biological Membranes, Federica Castellani
Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Ion Transport Through Electrically Stressed Biological Membranes, Federica Castellani
Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations
The cell membrane is a selectively permeable barrier that controls the transport of ions, molecules, and other materials into and out of a cell. The manipulation of the cell membrane permeability is the basis for several biotechnological and biomedical applications, including electroporation. Electroporation (or electropermeabilization) occurs when the application of an external electric pulse causes water intrusion into the membrane interior and the formation of conductive transmembrane electropores. These electropores allow drugs, genetic material, and other normally impermeant molecules to enter a cell. Despite years of study, the complex mechanisms underlying this process are still not well understood. Molecular dynamics …
Probing Nanoelectroporation And Resealing Of The Cell Membrane By The Entry Of Ca2+ And Ba2+ Ions, Wenfei Bo, Mantas Silkunas, Uma Mangalanathan, Vitalij Novickij, Maura Casciola, Iurii Semenov, Shu Xiao, Olga N. Pakhomova, Andrei G. Pakhomov
Probing Nanoelectroporation And Resealing Of The Cell Membrane By The Entry Of Ca2+ And Ba2+ Ions, Wenfei Bo, Mantas Silkunas, Uma Mangalanathan, Vitalij Novickij, Maura Casciola, Iurii Semenov, Shu Xiao, Olga N. Pakhomova, Andrei G. Pakhomov
Bioelectrics Publications
The principal bioeffect of the nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) is a lasting cell membrane permeabilization, which is often attributed to the formation of nanometer-sized pores. Such pores may be too small for detection by the uptake of fluorescent dyes. We tested if Ca2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Ba2+ ions can be used as nanoporation markers. Time-lapse imaging was performed in CHO, BPAE, and HEK cells loaded with Fluo-4, Calbryte, or Fluo-8 dyes. Ca2+ and Ba2+ did not change fluorescence in intact cells, whereas their entry after nsPEF increased fluorescence within <1 ms. The threshold for one 300-ns pulse was at 1.5–2 kV/cm, much lower than >7 …
Primary Pathways Of Intracellular Ca2+ Mobilization By Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field, Iurii Semenov, Shu Xiao, Andrei G. Pakhomov
Primary Pathways Of Intracellular Ca2+ Mobilization By Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field, Iurii Semenov, Shu Xiao, Andrei G. Pakhomov
Bioelectrics Publications
Permeabilization of cell membranous structures by nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) triggers transient rise of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which determines multifarious downstream effects. By using fast ratiometric Ca2+ imaging with Fura-2, we quantified the external Ca2+ uptake, compared it with Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and analyzed the interplay of these processes. We utilized CHO cells which lack voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, so that the nsPEF-induced [Ca2+]i changes could be attributed primarily to electroporation. We found that a single 60-ns pulse caused fast [Ca2+]i increase …