Numerical simulation of electroporation in spherical cells.

This article presents a numerical study of the electroporation process of spherical cells suspended in an electrolyte solution, using the equivalent circuit method (ECM) for field calculation proposed by Ramos et al. A model for the electric conductance of the cell membrane derived from the analytical and experimental results obtained by Glaser et al. for planar lipidic membranes was applied. The influence of the cell concentration and membrane properties (described in the model) on the membrane current, membrane potential, and dependence of the electrolyte conductivity on the applied electric field was studied. These results clarify the electric events connected with the pore opening process and allow the planning of experimental approaches to study reversible membrane rupture in real cells.