Modeling Dynamic Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements on Electroporated Cells

In the present work, electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed during electroporation of C2C12 cells monolayers. The measuring strategy, based on multisine excitations, allows acquiring full impedance spectra at a rate of 1 spectrum/ms during the interval between pulses of a traditional electroporation treatment. The multifrequency information provided by the measuring system was then studied using models. In this study, the Cole model and an electrical equivalent circuit were used. The results show the ability of the system for monitoring the fast impedance dynamics of cells during electroporation. The differences in the information shown at different frequencies suggest the ability of the system to measure different phenomena at the same time, namely: membrane changes and medium conductivity variations. The use of the Cole model reveals the need of more complex models to correctly separate and interpret the results. The use of the proposed circuital model enables studying the dynamics of pore formation independently of the conductivity variations. This work confirms the advantages of performing EIS measurements in order to have a more complete snapshot of the system behavior.