Electroporation

Electroporation is a process, which causes transient high-permeability of the cell membrane due to application of electric field. In the state of high-permeability, membrane allows different kinds of small and large molecules to be introduced into the cytoplasm, although the cell plasma membrane represents a formidable bar­rier for them in its normal state. Electroporation is governed by many parameters. Parameters of applied electric field which affect electroporation are the electric field strength, number of pulses, duration of each pulse and applied frequency. Electroporation is also affected by other para­meters such as temperature, conductivity of the poration medium, osmotic pressure and cytoskeleton integrity. Transient high-permeability state induced by applied electric field can be obtained on each and every cell, it does not affect cell via­bility, it does not affect cell organels and causes minimal irregularities in membrane functions. Therefore, applicability of electroporation is wide. It is a phenomenon which is already widely used in biotechnology cell biology and its importance in clinical practice is growing.