The Reduction in Electroporation Voltages by the Addition of a Surfactant to Planar Lipid Bilayers

AbstractThe effects of a nonionic surfactant, octaethyleneglycol mono n-dodecyl ether (C12E8), on the electroporation of planar bilayer lipid membranes made of the synthetic lipid 1-pamitoyl 2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC), was studied. High-amplitude (∼100–450mV) rectangular voltage pulses were used to electroporate the bilayers, followed by a prolonged, low-amplitude (∼65mV) voltage clamp to monitor the ensuing changes in transmembrane conductance. The electroporation thresholds of the membranes were found for rectangular voltage pulses of given durations. The strength-duration relationship was determined over a range from 10μs to 10s. The addition of C12E8 at concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 10μM to the bath surrounding the membranes decreased the electroporation threshold monotonically with concentration for all durations (p