Assessment of 0.5 T static field exposure effect on yeast and HEK cells using electrorotation

This study aims to examine the influence of a 0.5 T static magnetic field (SMF) on yeast and human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cell using electrorotation (ROT). Following 48 h exposition to the SMF, no difference was noted between ROT spectra of unexposed and exposed yeast cells, which extend previous reports on the absence of SMF effects on yeast. We also compared the ROT spectrum and the extracted electrical characteristics of HEK cells exposed during 72 h to a 0.5 T uniform static magnetic field with those of unexposed cells. SMF potential effects on HEK proliferation kinetics and cell morphology were also assessed by using the trypan blue exclusion method and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. At last, no significant differences were observed between control and exposed HEK cells concerning electrical properties, growth, and morphology.

Novel passive element circuits for microdosimetry of nanosecond pulsed electric fields

Microdosimetric models for biological cells have assumed increasing significance in the development of nanosecond pulsed electric field technology for medical applications. In this paper, novel passive element circuits, able to take into account the dielectric dispersion of the cell, are provided. The circuital analyses are performed on a set of input pulses classified in accordance with the current literature. Accurate data in terms of transmembrane potential are obtained in both time and frequency domains for different cell models. In addition, a sensitivity study of the transfer function for the cell geometrical and dielectric parameters has been carried out. This analysis offers a new, simple, and efficient tool to characterize the nsPEFs' action at the cellular level.