Determination of cell electroporation from the release of intracellular potassium ions.
When cells are exposed to a strong enough external electric field, transient aqueous pores are formed in the membrane. The fraction of electroporated cells can be determined by measuring the release of intracellular potassium ions. The current work is the first study where such a method was employed successfully not only with cells suspended in the medium with a rather high concentration of potassium (4-5 mM) but also with cells that release some part of intracellular potassium responding, in this way, to the stress caused by manipulation procedures during the preparation of the cell suspension. Experiments were carried out on mouse hepatoma MH-A22 cells exposed to a square-wave electric pulse. The curves showing the dependence of the fraction of the cells that have become permeable to bleomycin, a membrane-impermeable cytotoxic drug, are close to the ones showing the release of intracellular potassium ions.
Saulis
Gintautas
G
Biophysical Research Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Nature Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas LT-44246, Lithuania. abgisa@vdu.lt
Satkauskas
Saulius
S
Praneviciūte
Rita
R
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods*; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D011188:Potassium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
D011188:Potassium