Changes in gap junction-mediated intercellular communication in a cell-monolayer after the exposure to nanosecond pulsed electric fields

Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) can charge the membranes of biological cells and, as a result, change cell morphologies and cell functions. Subcellular structures are more strongly affected by exposures to pulses that are short in duration in comparison to the charging time of the cell's boundary. Conversely, longer pulses primarily affect the outer membrane. As a consequence there is a wide range of opportunities for applications, depending on pulse duration and pulse amplitude, including the possibility of novel tumor treatments. Studies so far have mostly focused on the interaction between PEFs and individual cells in vitro or on empirical investigations of treatment efficacies in vivo. However, an understanding of therapies that are based on PEFs further requires closing our gap in knowledge about processes affecting connected cells, i.e. the response of tissues. The topic of our investigations is PEF effects on tissue with respect to tissue structures and properties and in particular the effect on the propagation of a stimulus across several cells. Cell-cell communication via gap junctions is examined by injecting a fluorescent dye into a single cell of a monolayer. The propagation of the dye to adjacent cells after exposure to a PEF will be compared to the propagation in unexposed cells. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that it is possible to manipulate cell-cell communication with PEFs and to provide an additional pathway to increase treatment efficacies.