Electroporation threshold, conductivity and memory effect in rat liver

Abstract Purpose The characterization of electroporation in biological tissues is an important aspect to understand the process, elaborate analytical or numerical models and prepare clinical protocols. A new technique is presented to separate the effects of intense dielectric dispersion in the tissues from the results due to electroporation. Methods Rat liver samples are accommodated in a parallel plate system, their admittance is measured and the electroporation protocol is applied. Results Experimental results of the intact tissue’s electrical properties are presented. The electroporation threshold with a voltage ramp decreased from 385 to 309 V/cm when the rise time of the applied field was reduced from 1000 μs to 200 μs. For a pulse train, the conductivity increased with each pulse and the memory effect was significant during time intervals from 1 millisecond to 6 seconds. Conclusion The use of the Fourier series enabled the separation of the sample’s dispersive effects, allowing for the evaluation of the electroporation effects and the determination of the electroporation threshold. The recovery time of the electroporated tissue is similar to that obtained for isolated cells.

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