Shock waves associated with electric pulses affect cell electro-permeabilization

• Close chambers prevent arcing when high voltage are delivered.
• Shock waves are observed when delivering voltage pulses in a close chamber.
• Shock waves induced during a voltage pulse delivery hinder cell electrotransfection.

New features of cell electro-permeabilization are obtained by using high field (several tens of kV/cm) with short (sub-microsecond, nanosecond) pulse duration. Arcing appears as a main safety problem when air gaps are present between electrodes. A new applicator design was chosen to obtain a closed chamber where high field pulses could be delivered in a safe way with very short pulse duration. The safety issue of the system was validated under millisecond, microsecond and nanosecond pulses. The closed chamber applicator was then checked for its use under classical electro-mediated permeabilization and electro-gene transfer (EGT). A 20 times decrease in gene expression was observed compared with classical open chambers. It was experimentally observed that shock waves were present under the closed chamber configuration of the applicator. This was not the case with an open chamber design. Electropulsation chamber design plays a role on pulsing conditions and in the efficiency of gene electro transfer.