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de Caro A, Talmont F, Rols MP, Golzio M, Kolosnjaj-Tabi J. Therapeutic perspectives of high pulse repetition rate electroporation. Bioelectrochemistry 2024; 156:108629. [PMID: 38159429 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2023.108629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Electroporation, a technique that uses electrical pulses to temporarily or permanently destabilize cell membranes, is increasingly used in cancer treatment, gene therapy, and cardiac tissue ablation. Although the technique is efficient, patients report discomfort and pain. Current strategies that aim to minimize pain and muscle contraction rely on the use of pharmacological agents. Nevertheless, technical improvements might be a valuable tool to minimize adverse events, which occur during the application of standard electroporation protocols. One recent technological strategy involves the use of high pulse repetition rate. The emerging technique, also referred as "high frequency" electroporation, employs short (micro to nanosecond) mono or bipolar pulses at repetition rate ranging from a few kHz to a few MHz. This review provides an overview of the historical background of electric field use and its development in therapies over time. With the aim to understand the rationale for novel electroporation protocols development, we briefly describe the physiological background of neuromuscular stimulation and pain caused by exposure to pulsed electric fields. Then, we summarize the current knowledge on electroporation protocols based on high pulse repetition rates. The advantages and limitations of these protocols are described from the perspective of their therapeutic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexia de Caro
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Franck Talmont
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Marie-Pierre Rols
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Muriel Golzio
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
| | - Jelena Kolosnjaj-Tabi
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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Chole AM, Duffy M. Piezoelectric Transformer-Based High-Voltage Pulse Generator Using Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors for Medical Electroporation Therapy. Ann Biomed Eng 2024; 52:36-47. [PMID: 37468687 PMCID: PMC10761399 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03319-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, a new application of Piezoelectric Transformer (PT)-based power converters to generate high-voltage (HV) bipolar pulses for medical electroporation therapy is proposed. In particular, PT-based power conversion is investigated as an alternative to magnetics-based approaches of generating HV from a relatively low-voltage (LV) input source for application in electroporation therapy. The detailed PT-based system design and selection of wide bandgap semiconductor switches such as GaN FETs, high-voltage SiC diodes and SiC MOSFETs, as well as simulation results to demonstrate proof-of-concept using LTSpice are presented. Preliminary experimental results of the PT-based capacitor charger are shown, and work is ongoing to develop a complete hardware prototype of the proposed HV pulse generator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay M Chole
- Power Electronics Research Centre, University of Galway, Galway, H91 HX31, Ireland.
| | - Maeve Duffy
- Power Electronics Research Centre, University of Galway, Galway, H91 HX31, Ireland
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Pan Y, Zhang Y, Shi X, Li D, Xu X, Xiao B, Piao Y, Xiang J, Shao S, Ho FCY, Shen Y, Zhang AP, Tang J. Electrical stimulation induces anti-tumor immunomodulation via a flexible microneedle-array-integrated interdigital electrode. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2023; 68:2779-2792. [PMID: 37863773 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer therapy, using chemical or biological agents to reinvigorate the immune system. However, most of these agents have poor tumor penetration and inevitable side effects that complicate therapeutic outcomes. Electrical stimulation (ES) is a promising alternative therapy against cancers that does not involve chemical or biological agents but is limited in the fabrication and operation of complex micrometer-scale ES devices. Here, we present an optically microprinted flexible interdigital electrode with a gold-plated polymer microneedle array to generate alternating electric fields for cancer treatment. A flexible microneedle-array-integrated interdigital electrode (FMIE) was fabricated by combining optical 3D microprinting and electroless plating processes. FMIE-mediated ES of cancer cells induced necrotic cell death through mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This led to the release of damage-associated molecular patterns that activated the immune response and potentiated immunogenic cell death (ICD). FMIE-based ES has an excellent safety profile and systemic anti-tumor effects, inhibiting the growth of primary and distant tumors as well as melanoma lung metastasis. FMIE-based ES-driven cancer immunomodulation provides a new pathway for drug-free cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yangxi Zhang
- Photonics Research Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xueying Shi
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Dongdong Li
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xiaodan Xu
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311215, China
| | - Bing Xiao
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ying Piao
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Jiajia Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311215, China
| | - Shiqun Shao
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311215, China
| | - Frederic Chun-Yip Ho
- Photonics Research Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Youqing Shen
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - A Ping Zhang
- Photonics Research Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Jianbin Tang
- Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311215, China.
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Novickij V, Rembiałkowska N, Szlasa W, Kulbacka J. Does the shape of the electric pulse matter in electroporation? Front Oncol 2022; 12:958128. [PMID: 36185267 PMCID: PMC9518825 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.958128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Electric pulses are widely used in biology, medicine, industry, and food processing. Numerous studies indicate that electroporation (EP) is a pulse-dependent process, and the electric pulse shape and duration strongly determine permeabilization efficacy. EP protocols are precisely planned in terms of the size and charge of the molecules, which will be delivered to the cell. In reversible and irreversible EP applications, rectangular or sine, polar or bipolar pulses are commonly used. The usage of pulses of the asymmetric shape is still limited to high voltage and low voltage (HV/LV) sequences in the context of gene delivery, while EP-based applications of ultra-short asymmetric pulses are just starting to emerge. This review emphasizes the importance and role of the pulse shape for membrane permeabilization by EP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitalij Novickij
- Faculty of Electronics, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Vilnius TECH), Vilnius, Lithuania
- *Correspondence: Vitalij Novickij, ; Julita Kulbacka,
| | - Nina Rembiałkowska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Wojciech Szlasa
- Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Julita Kulbacka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
- *Correspondence: Vitalij Novickij, ; Julita Kulbacka,
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Nanosecond electric pulses are equally effective in electrochemotherapy with cisplatin as microsecond pulses. Radiol Oncol 2022; 56:326-335. [PMID: 35962956 PMCID: PMC9400447 DOI: 10.2478/raon-2022-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nanosecond electric pulses showed promising results in electrochemotherapy, but the underlying mechanisms of action are still unexplored. The aim of this work was to correlate cellular cisplatin amount with cell survival of cells electroporated with nanosecond or standardly used 8 × 100 μs pulses and to investigate the effects of electric pulses on cisplatin structure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chinese hamster ovary CHO and mouse melanoma B16F1 cells were exposed to 1 × 200 ns pulse at 12.6 kV/cm or 25 × 400 ns pulses at 3.9 kV/cm, 10 Hz repetition rate or 8 × 100 μs pulses at 1.1 (CHO) or 0.9 (B16F1) kV/cm, 1 Hz repetition rate at three cisplatin concentrations. Cell survival was determined by the clonogenic assay, cellular platinum was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Effects on the structure of cisplatin were investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. RESULTS Nanosecond pulses equivalent to 8 × 100 μs pulses were established in vitro based on membrane permeabilization and cell survival. Equivalent nanosecond pulses were equally efficient in decreasing the cell survival and accumulating cisplatin intracellularly as 8 × 100 μs pulses after electrochemotherapy. The number of intracellular cisplatin molecules strongly correlates with cell survival for B16F1 cells, but less for CHO cells, implying the possible involvement of other mechanisms in electrochemotherapy. The high-voltage electric pulses did not alter the structure of cisplatin. CONCLUSIONS Equivalent nanosecond pulses are equally effective in electrochemotherapy as standardly used 8 × 100 μs pulses.
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High Frequency Bipolar Electroporator with Double-Crowbar Circuit for Load-Independent Forming of Nanosecond Pulses. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12031370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In this work, a novel electroporation system (electroporator) is presented, which is capable of forming high frequency pulses in a broad range of parameters (65 ns–100 µs). The electroporator supports voltages up to 3 kV and currents up to 40 A and is based on H-bridge circuit topology. A synchronized double crowbar driving sequence is introduced to generate short nanosecond range pulses independently of the electroporator load. The resultant circuit generates pulses with repetition frequencies up to 5 MHz and supports unipolar, bipolar, and asymmetrical pulse sequences with arbitrary waveforms. The shortest pulse duration step is hardware limited to 33 ns. The electroporator was experimentally tested on the H69AR human lung cancer cell line using 20 kV/cm bipolar and unipolar 100 ns–1 μs pulses. Based on a YO-PRO-1 permeabilization assay, it was determined that the electroporator is suitable for applied research on electroporation. The system offers high flexibility in experimental design to trigger various electroporation-based phenomena.
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Four Channel 6.5 kV, 65 A, 100 ns–100 µs Generator with Advanced Control of Pulse and Burst Protocols for Biomedical and Biotechnological Applications. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app112411782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pulsed electric fields in the sub-microsecond range are being increasingly used in biomedical and biotechnology applications, where the demand for high-voltage and high-frequency pulse generators with enhanced performance and pulse flexibility is pushing the limits of pulse power solid state technology. In the scope of this article, a new pulsed generator, which includes four independent MOSFET based Marx modulators, operating individually or combined, controlled from a computer user interface, is described. The generator is capable of applying different pulse shapes, from unipolar to bipolar pulses into biological loads, in symmetric and asymmetric modes, with voltages up to 6.5 kV and currents up to 65 A, in pulse widths from 100 ns to 100 µs, including short-circuit protection, current and voltage monitoring. This new scientific tool can open new research possibility due to the flexibility it provides in pulse generation, particularly in adjusting pulse width, polarity, and amplitude from pulse-to-pulse. It also permits operating in burst mode up to 5 MHz in four independent channels, for example in the application of synchronized asymmetric bipolar pulses, which is shown together with other characteristics of the generator.
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