TY - JOUR
T1 - Ultrashort electrical pulses open a new gateway into biological cells
AU - Schoenbach, Karl H.
AU - Joshi, Ravindra P.
AU - Kolb, Juergen F.
AU - Chen, Nianyong
AU - Stacey, Michael
AU - Blackmore, Peter F.
AU - Buescher, E. Stephen
AU - Beebe, Stephen J.
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received January 27, 2004; revised February 29, 2004. This work was supported by an Air Force Office of Scientific Research/Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant on subcellular responses to narrow-band and wide-band radio frequency radiation, administered through Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, and the American Cancer Society, administered through Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA.
PY - 2004/7
Y1 - 2004/7
N2 - An electrical model for biological cells predicts that for pulses with durations shorter than the charging time of the outer membrane, there is an increasing probability of electric field interactions with intracellular structures. Experimental studies in which human cells were exposed to pulsed electric fields of up to 300-kV/cm amplitude, with durations as short as 10 ns, have confirmed this hypothesis. The observed effects include the breaching of intracellular granule membranes without permanent damage to the cell membrane, abrupt rises in intracellular free calcium levels, and enhanced expression of genes. At increased electric fields, the application of submicrosecond pulses induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in biological cells, an effect that has been shown to reduce the growth of tumors. Possible applications of the intracellular electroeffect are enhancing gene delivery to the nucleus, controlling cell functions that depend on calcium release (causing cell immobilization), and treating tumors.
AB - An electrical model for biological cells predicts that for pulses with durations shorter than the charging time of the outer membrane, there is an increasing probability of electric field interactions with intracellular structures. Experimental studies in which human cells were exposed to pulsed electric fields of up to 300-kV/cm amplitude, with durations as short as 10 ns, have confirmed this hypothesis. The observed effects include the breaching of intracellular granule membranes without permanent damage to the cell membrane, abrupt rises in intracellular free calcium levels, and enhanced expression of genes. At increased electric fields, the application of submicrosecond pulses induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in biological cells, an effect that has been shown to reduce the growth of tumors. Possible applications of the intracellular electroeffect are enhancing gene delivery to the nucleus, controlling cell functions that depend on calcium release (causing cell immobilization), and treating tumors.
KW - Apoptosis
KW - Biological cells
KW - Calcium release
KW - Electroporation
KW - Intracellular electroeffects
KW - Ultrashort electrical pulses
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4344679059&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/JPROC.2004.829009
DO - 10.1109/JPROC.2004.829009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:4344679059
SN - 0018-9219
VL - 92
SP - 1122
EP - 1136
JO - Proceedings of the IEEE
JF - Proceedings of the IEEE
IS - 7
ER -