Electric pulses can create pores and/or render cell membranes permeable, and this effect has been studied for decades. Applications include cell membrane permeabilization for gene electrotransfer, drug delivery, and related electrochemotherapy, as well as tissue ablation. Here, we probe the use of time-varying magnetic fields to modulate the transmembrane voltage (TMV) across cell membranes through numerical simulations. This could be a contactless, noninvasive technique. Results show that the induced TMV values exceeding the 1 V threshold for electroporation could be achieved for short duration pulsing with fast rise and fall times. The strongest response is then predicted to occur when the lateral distance between a cell and the center of a current carrying coil equals the coil radius. The induced TMV is shown to peak when the gradient in the magnetic potential is the largest. However, with the more realistic but longer microsecond pulse stimulation systems, the induced TMV is much smaller. Hence, developing shorter pulses or fast rise times is critical for achieving membrane poration based on time-varying magnetic fields. Other effects could also focus on the use of nanoparticles (including magnetic materials) for possible heating for synergistic enhancements of transport through tumor cell membranes.

中文翻译：

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时变磁场诱导细胞跨膜电压的计算

电脉冲可以产生孔隙和/或使细胞膜具有渗透性，这种效应已经研究了几十年。应用包括用于基因电转移、药物递送和相关电化学疗法以及组织消融的细胞膜透化。在这里，我们探索使用时变磁场通过数值模拟来调节跨细胞膜的跨膜电压 (TMV)。这可能是一种非接触式、非侵入性技术。结果表明，对于具有快速上升和下降时间的短持续时间脉冲，可以实现超过 1 V 电穿孔阈值的诱导 TMV 值。当细胞和载流线圈中心之间的横向距离等于线圈半径时，预测最强的响应会发生。当磁势梯度最大时，感应的 TMV 显示为峰值。然而，对于更现实但更长的微秒脉冲刺激系统，诱导的 TMV 小得多。因此，开发更短的脉冲或快速的上升时间对于实现基于时变磁场的膜穿孔至关重要。其他影响也可能集中在使用纳米颗粒（包括磁性材料）进行加热，以协同增强通过肿瘤细胞膜的运输。