Transient electropore lifetimes in skeletal muscle cells

Electroporation of skeletal muscle cell membranes has been postulated to cause myonecrosis in most victims of major electrical trauma.^(1,2) To precisely quantify membrane damage due to electroporation, we utilized a ratiometric fluorometric assay to determine the threshold of imposed transmembrane potential required to reversibly and irreversibly electroporate the cell membrane and calculated the time constants for electropores created over a wide range of applied fields.