First response of mammalian cells to nanosecond pulsed electric fields

In order to investigate the conditions for the induction of all physiological responses, the changes of the transmembrane potential is recorded during the application of a nanosecond pulsed electric field in real time, i.e., with a temporal resolution of 5 ns, short compared to the duration of the pulse. Results show that the intense fast-rising pulses lead to an immediate change about 1 V at the anodic side of the cell. It was observed that the changes in transmembrane potentials correspond to the increase of intracellular calcium levels several milliseconds after exposure for the same pulse conditions.