An electroporation platform for Erlotinib resistance screening in living non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells

Abstract

An electroporation device was developed to introduce transient membrane pores and, consequently, enhance membrane permeability in living cells in a controllable manner. The validity of this platform was assessed on six non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines using different fluorescent dyes. Interestingly, it was found that the electroporation efficiency of these cells, i.e. the percentage of cells with membrane pores created, decreases significantly (from ∼60% to 30%) as their resistivity against Erlotinib increases, demonstrating the potential of such approach as a screening tool for assessing drug resistance in tumours in the future. Furthermore, we showed that the inverse relationship between the electroporation efficiency and Erlotinib resistance is likely due to the fact that NSCLC cell lines with higher drug resistivity appear to have lower cortical tensions and hence make it harder for membrane pores to be created, consistent with existing electroporation theories.

Recent Advances in Microscale Electroporation

“…Interestingly, Yan et al found that decreased EP efficiency of different nonsmall cell lung cancer cell lines was linked with higher resistance to erlotinib, a commonly used anticancer drug. 310 This behavior may be related to changes in membrane tension, which followed the same trend as EP efficiency. Vickers et al reported an inertial microfluidic device that trapped cells in EP chambers using microvortices for drug cocktail testing.…”

“…The MCF-7 cells had a 20% lower cell viability compared to the MCF-7/ADR cells, whereas the EP-free, 24 h DOX treatment of MCF-7/ADR cells had a marginal effect on altering cell viability. Interestingly, Yan et al found that decreased EP efficiency of different nonsmall cell lung cancer cell lines was linked with higher resistance to erlotinib, a commonly used anticancer drug . This behavior may be related to changes in membrane tension, which followed the same trend as EP efficiency.…”

A Novel Electroporation System for Living Cell Staining and Membrane Dynamics Interrogation

“…Therefore, various micro-fabricated chips were designed to conduct electroporation at single-cell level without the use of high voltage. For example, based on a micro-electroporation system, a recent study has shown that the electroporation efficiency of lung tumor cells is closely related to their resistance against commonly used anti-cancer drugs [6,7], indicating the possibility of utilizing electroporation in the classification and prognosis of cancer.…”

“…To investigate the response of different cancer cells, we designed a micro-electroporation system in our previous study [6,7]. We showed that the electroporation efficiency of lung tumor cells is closely related to their resistivity against Erlotinib (a commonly used drug for treating lung cancer).…”