Nanosecond, high-intensity pulsed electric fields induce apoptosis in human cells

SPECIFIC AIMSThese studies were designed to determine the effects of high-intensity nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) on cell structure and function. Because cells were never exposed to NsPEF during evolution, it is of interest to determine what signal transduction mechanisms and pathways are recruited by cells in response to nsPEF. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS 1. As the pulse duration decreases, electroporation of the plasma membrane decreases (Fig. 1)⤻ and poration of intracellular membranes increases Figure 1.Decreasing the pulse duration in the nanosecond range results in less plasma membrane poration: differences between cell types. HL-60 cells, and Jurkat cells were exposed in the presence of EthD-1 to 5 repetitive pulses (1–2 s intervals) for 10 ns (150 kV/cm), 60 ns (60 kV/cm), and 300 ns (26 kV/cm). The energy density was ∼1.7 J/cc/pulse in all cases. Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. This shows the geometric mean EthD-1 fluorescence ±se in 6–8 experiments for the cell types indicated. 2. NsPE...