Electropermeabilization of inner and outer cell membranes with microsecond pulsed electric field. Quantitative study with calcium ions
Microsecond pulsed electric fields (mu sPEF) permeabilize the plasma membrane (PM) and are widely used in research, medicine and biotechnology. For internal membranes permeabilization, nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) are applied but this technology is complex to use. Here we report that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane can also be electropermeabilized by one 100 mu s pulse without affecting the cell viability. Indeed, using Ca2+ as a permeabilization marker, we observed cytosolic Ca2+ peaks in two different cell types after one 100 mu s pulse in a medium without Ca2+.