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Electrokinetic transport of nanoparticles to opening of nanopores on cell membrane during electroporation

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Abstract

Nanoparticle transport to the opening of the single nanopore created on the cell membrane during the electroporation is studied. First, the permeabilization of a single cell located in a microchannel is investigated. When the nanopores are created, the transport of the nanoparticles from the surrounding liquid to the opening of one of the created nanopores is examined. It was found that the negatively charged nanoparticles preferably move into the nanopores from the side of the cell membrane that faces the negative electrode. Opposite to the electro-osmotic flow effect, the electrophoretic force tends to draw the negatively charged nanoparticles into the opening of the nanopores. The effect of the Brownian force is negligible in comparison with the electro-osmosis and the electrophoresis. Smaller nanoparticles with stronger surface charge transport more easily to the opening of the nanopores. Positively charged nanoparticles preferably enter the nanopores from the side of the cell membrane that faces the positive electrode. On this side, both the electrophoretic and the electro-osmotic forces are in the same directions and contribute to bring the positively charged particles into the nanopores.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the financial support of the Canada Research Chair program and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada through a research grant to D. Li.

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  1. Saeid Movahed

    Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Saeid Movahed & Dongqing Li

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  1. Saeid Movahed
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  2. Dongqing Li
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Correspondence to Dongqing Li.

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Movahed, S., Li, D. Electrokinetic transport of nanoparticles to opening of nanopores on cell membrane during electroporation. J Nanopart Res 15, 1511 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1511-y

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