Hannover 2010 – scientific programme
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SYMP: Symposium Plasma in Biology and Medicine
SYMP 1: Plasma in Biology and Medicine (SYMP)
SYMP 1.7: Invited Talk
Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 17:30–18:00, A 001
Effects of Microsecond- and Nanosecond-Pulsed-Electric-Fields on Plant Cells — •Thomas Berghöfer1, Bianca Flickinger1, Christian Eing1, Martin Sack1, Petra Hohenberger2, Peter Nick2, Michael Pacher3, Holger Puchta3, and Wolfgang Frey1 — 1Institute for Pulsed Power and Microwave Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen — 2Botanical Institute I, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe — 3Botanical Institute II, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe
Cellular responses on pulsed electric field exposure roughly can be divided into two groups. For pulse durations in the microsecond range and rise-times in the order of several 100 ns, predominantly the plasma membrane is targeted. It is commonly accepted, that due to an increase of transmembrane voltage hydrophilic pores are created which allow an exchange of liquids and ions through the membrane and simultaneously affect the charging process of the membrane. At the IHM this effect predominantly is applied for the extraction of cellular ingredients, e.g. from wine grapes or sugar beets, and the conditioning of green biomass. For a second type of field induced cell response, the pulses have to exhibit a rise time considerably shorter than the charging time of the plasma membrane. In this case the electric field penetrates into the cell interior and affects intracellular components. Recent experiments have shown that structures of the cytoskeleton of plant cells are affected by 10 ns pulses of 30 kV/cm and that the growth behaviour of plants and fungi can be influenced by nanosecond pulse treatment.