Surfactant therapy after electroporation mediated muscle injury in vivo

High voltage electrical shock can produce extensive muscle and nerve tissue damage due to poration of cell membranes by electric field gradients in addition to thermal denaturation of biomolecules. The authors studied the therapeutic membrane sealing effect of the surfactant Poloxamer 188 on muscle tissue damage in vivo following non-thermal electrical injury in their rat hind limb model (DC-pulses, 150 V/cm) by radiotracer imaging. Poloxamer 188 surfactant injections (50 mg/kg) showed a significant decrease in radiotracer retention compared to control injections post-shock. The results indicate the importance of membrane permeabilization and the therapeutic potential of surfactant sealing in electrical shock victims.