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Volume changes of isolated human K562 leukemia cells induced by electric field pulses
Author(s) -
Ferret Eric,
Evrard Christine,
Foucal Arnaud,
Gervais Patrick
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(20000305)67:5<520::aid-bit3>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - electroporation , electric field , biophysics , chemistry , volume (thermodynamics) , membrane , intracellular , k562 cells , mass transfer , materials science , cell , chromatography , biochemistry , biology , physics , quantum mechanics , gene
Electropermeabilization of immobilized human leukemia K562 cells was studied by measuring changes in cell volume. Such changes reflect mass transfer between the cell and external medium. Electropermeabilization was carried out in an isosmotic water–sorbitol medium with a range of electric field strengths from 500 to 800 V · cm −1 , corresponding to low‐energy levels. Electroporation of the K562 cell membrane was found to provoke an inflow of sorbitol and a corresponding osmotic inflow of water and/or an outflow of intracellular solutes due to Fick diffusion. Such flows were found to involve the shrinkage, swelling, or rupture of K562 cells, depending on the characteristics of the electric field and of the physiological state of cells. The behavior of immobilized cells was observed during their exposure to the electric field. The response in immobilized cell volume corresponded with the theoretical pore size and pore opening time, permitting an explanation of the behavior of cell suspensions subject to electrical fields. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 67: 520–528, 2000.