Assessment of cell electroporation on nanosecond timescales based on electroporation current

Abstract Electroporation of the cell membrane has been widely used in biology, medicine, and food engineering. However, there is still a lack of direct and real-time characterization methods to investigate the highly rapid dynamic process of nano-electroporation. In this study, voltage and current measurements of cell suspensions, combined with impedance spectroscopy and an equivalent circuit model, were used to calculate macroscopic electroporation current (I ep ). The results demonstrated that high voltage induces rapid pore formation, with I ep accuracy influenced by waveform smoothness and oscilloscope resolution. Averaging three sampling points (6 ns) effectively minimized the waveform oscillations, allowing for a clear differentiation of changes across varying electric field strengths. Overall, I ep increased as the electric field strength increased, exhibiting a field strength-dependent manner. Compared to cell membrane conductivity and instantaneous impedance, I ep is more directly correlated with membrane electroporation and is applicable to various biological samples, including cell suspensions and tissues. This study indicates that based on electrical measurements and a simple circuit model, online monitoring of real-time electroporation processes can be conducted in situ with high temporal resolution, sensitivity, and broad applicability.