Theoretical predictions of electromechanical deformation of cells subjected to high voltages for membrane electroporation

R. P. Joshi, Q. Hu, K. H. Schoenbach, H. P. Hjalmarson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

An electromechanical analysis based on thin-shell theory is presented to analyze cell shape changes in response to external electric fields. This approach can be extended to include osmotic-pressure changes. Our calculations demonstrate that at large fields, the spherical cell geometry can be significantly modified, and even ellipsoidal forms would be inappropriate to account for the deformation. Values of the surface forces obtained from our calculations are in very good agreement with the 1-10 mN/m range for membrane rupture reported in the literature. The results, in keeping with reports in the literature, demonstrate that the final shape depends on membrane thickness. This has direct implications for tissues in which significant molecular restructuring can occur. It is also shown that, at least for the smaller electric fields, both the cellular surface area and volume change roughly in a quadratic manner with the electric field. Finally, it is shown that the bending moments are generally quite small and can be neglected for a simpler analysis.

Original languageEnglish
Article number021913
Pages (from-to)021913/1-021913/10
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Volume65
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2002

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Theoretical predictions of electromechanical deformation of cells subjected to high voltages for membrane electroporation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this