title: Microdosimetry for nanosecond pulsed electric field applications: a parametric study for a single cell.
abstract: A microdosimetric study of nanosecond pulsed electric fields, including dielectric dispersivity of cell compartments, is proposed in our paper. A quasi-static solution based on the Laplace equation was adapted to wideband signals and used to address the problem of electric field estimation at cellular level. The electric solution was coupled with an asymptotic electroporation model able to predict membrane pore density. An initial result of our paper is the relevance of the dielectric dispersivity, providing evidence that both the transmembrane potential and the pore density are strongly influenced by the choice of modeling used. We note the crucial role played by the dielectric properties of the membrane that can greatly impact on the poration of the cell. This can partly explain the selective action reported on cancerous cells in mixed populations, if one considers that tumor cells may present different dielectric responses. Moreover, these kinds of studies can be useful to determine the appropriate setting of nsPEF generators as well as for the design and optimization of new-generation devices.
authors.affiliation: Italian Inter-University Center for the Study of Electromagnetic Fields and BioSystems (ICEmB) at ENEA, Italian Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome 00123, Italy. caterina.merla@enea.it
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merla
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paffi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Apollonio
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leveque
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: d'Inzeo
authors.forename: Micaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liberti
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D018274:Electroporation; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008954:Models, Biological; D016062:Porosity; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods*