Fast-Rising Electric Pulses by Reducing Membrane Tension for Efficient Membrane Electroporation.

Membrane electroporation is an emerging minimally invasive ablation technique being rapidly applied in the ablation treatment of tumors and heart conditions. Different rise times of electric fields lead to variations in the distribution and duration of electric field strength on the cell membrane. This study investigated the effect of the electric field's rise time on membrane electroporation characteristics using molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that fast-rising electrical pulses can significantly reduce the membrane tension induced by the Coulomb force within a short period of time and lead to a trend of the electric field angle distribution towards smaller values below 45°, thereby effectively promoting the pore formation process. Optimizing the electric field's rise time is an effective electroporation ablation strategy, potentially improving the efficacy of clinical cancer treatment.