Bystander effect of metal byproducts released from electroporated cells after electroporation in vitro

Maček Lebar, Alenka (author), Potočnik, Tjaša (author), Ščančar, Janez (author), Marković, Stefan (author), Polajžer, Tamara (author)

Electrodes dissolution during electroporation releases metal ions into the medium, altering the microenvironment of electroporated cells and allowing metal ions to penetrate cell membrane. During cell membrane repair, homeostasis restoration or activation of cell death pathways, cells eliminate excess metals from the cytoplasm and membrane. This study assessed the effects of post-electroporation metal byproducts on untreated (nonelectroporated) cells in vitro. CHO and HCT116 cells were electroporated with three pulse protocols (unipolar: 100 $\mu$s, 5 ms; bipolar: 2 $\mu$s) using either aluminum or stainless-steel electrodes. After electroporation, cells were transferred to fresh growth medium and incubated for 2 or 4 h. Incubation period allowed either cell recovery or the activation of cell death pathways, leading to the accumulation of metal byproducts in the incubation medium. Stainless-steel electrodes with the 5 ms pulse protocol caused a considerable increase in iron, chromium and nickel ions in incubation medium compared to aluminum electrodes or other protocols. Metal ions in incubation medium caused toxicity in non-electroporated cells, disrupting cell cycle function or inducing cell death. The observed toxicity results from combined effects of metal ions on cellular functions and the mechanisms the cells use to protect themselves from metal overload.

• Language: English
• Keywords: pulsed electric fields, stainless-steel electrodes, aluminum cuvettes, electrode dissolution
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 164, art. 108940
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-167497
• UDC: 602.621
• ISSN on article: 1567-5394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2025.108940
• COBISS.SI-ID: 227225859
• Publication date in RUL: 25.02.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bioelectrochemistry
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1567-5394
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2502484

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: pulzna električna polja, elektrode iz nerjavečega jekla, aluminijaste kivete, raztapljanje elektrode

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0249
• Name: Elektroporacija v biologiji, biotehnologiji in medicini

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: I0-0022
• Name: Mreža raziskovalnih infrastrukturnih centrov Univerze v Ljubljani (MRIC UL)