Speaker
Description
Electropulsation, the application of short, intense electric pulses, is widely used in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, gene therapy, and tumor treatment. While previous studies primarily relied on molecular simulations or indirect experimental methods to study membrane permeabilization, this work expands on a novel wide-field Coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) microspectroscopy approach to investigate hydration changes in cell membranes.
By integrating Electro-CARS with a grounded coplanar waveguide, the study enables real-time tracking of vibrational modes in lipids and water molecules in human mesenchymal stem cells (HuMSC), murine fibroblasts (DC-3F), and erythrocytes. Two experimental protocols were applied: one for post-electropulsation spectral analysis and another for real-time tracking during electric pulse exposure. Results show that microsecond and nanosecond pulsed electric fields (PEFs) differentially impact membrane hydration, with interstitial and interfacial water dynamics being significantly altered in HuMSC and DC-3F cells. The study also confirms membrane permeabilization through fluorescence microscopy, with real-time monitoring indicating long-term hydration changes in electroporated membranes.
These findings provide key insights into electropulsation-induced modifications of lipid membranes and water incorporation. The differential responses among cell types highlight the importance of tailored pulse parameters for biomedical applications. Electro-CARS emerges as a powerful, label-free technique for studying electroporation dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolution. Future studies will expand the dataset by analyzing additional cell types and optimizing electric pulse parameters for therapeutic applications.
