Numerical assessments of geometry, proximity and multi-electrode effects on electroporation in mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum to nanosecond electric pulses

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 23854 - 15
• Main Authors: Baker, C., Willis, A., Milestone, W., Baker, M., Garner, A. L., Joshi, R. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.10.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/57/2270; 639/166/985; Calcium; Calcium (intracellular); Calcium (mitochondrial); Calcium - metabolism; Cell membranes; Computer Simulation; Electric fields; Electricity; Electrodes; Electroporation; Electroporation - methods; Endoplasmic reticulum; Endoplasmic Reticulum - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Jurkat Cells; Membrane potential; Membranes; Mitochondria; Mitochondria - metabolism; Mitochondrial Membranes - metabolism; Models, Biological; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Simulation
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-74659-z

Most simulations of electric field driven bioeffects have considered spherical cellular geometries or probed symmetrical structures for simplicity. This work assesses cellular transmembrane potential build-up and electroporation in a Jurkat cell that includes the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, both of which have complex shapes, in response to external nanosecond electric pulses. The simulations are based on a time-domain nodal analysis that incorporates membrane poration utilizing the Smoluchowski model with angular-dependent changes in membrane conductivity. Consistent with prior experimental reports, the simulations show that the ER requires the largest electric field for electroporation, while the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) is the easiest membrane to porate. Our results suggest that the experimentally observed increase in intracellular calcium could be due to a calcium induced calcium release (CICR) process that is initiated by outer cell membrane breakdown. Repeated pulsing and/or using multiple electrodes are shown to create a stronger poration. The role of mutual coupling, screening, and proximity effects in bringing about electric field modifications is also probed. Finally, while including greater geometric details might refine predictions, the qualitative trends are expected to remain.