Electric Field Distribution and Electroporation Threshold

Abstract

This chapter is dedicated to fundamentals of interaction between cells and tissues exposed to the externally applied electric field. Through experimental work and mathematical modeling, it has been shown that an accurate coverage of tissue with sufficiently large electric field presents one of the most important conditions for successful outcome of electroporation-based applications. The electroporation process as well as cell viability is also governed by other parameters of applied electric pulses and characteristics of targeted tissue; thus, different electroporation threshold values of the electric field for reversible and irreversible electroporation are being reported. Electric pulses and tissue structure also define established electric field distribution which is difficult to predict. Still, numerical modeling 1 has proven to be very efficient in providing simulated maps of electric field distributions for various electrode geometries and tissue structures, especially if they incorporate nonlinear behavior of tissue electrical properties. Electric field distribution in tissues can also be indirectly monitored using magnetic resonance techniques that enable determination of electric field distribution in situ while taking into account nonlinear changes that occur in the tissue due to electropo-ration. Brief introduction to the monitoring method together with maps of electric field distributions in animal and vegetable tissues obtained by means of magnetic resonance techniques is presented in the last part of the chapter.