Study of the influence of antioxidant quercetin on the viability of intact and electroporated chinese hamster ovary cells

Abstract

Cell electroporation – a temporal increase of the cell membrane permeability occurring due to the action of the pulses of strong electric field (up to 300 kV/cm). This is an effective method with an increasing number of applications in biology, oncology, genetics, immunology, and biotechnology [1]. However, when cell suspension is exposed to high–voltage electric pulses, various electrochemical reactions occur at electrode–solution interfaces. These may include evolution of gas, dissolution of the electrodes and release of the metal ions, pH changes, electrodissociation of molecules, and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [2]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as free radicals in peroxides are very lethal for cells after electroporation. When the concentration of ROS rises, it leads to oxidative stress. ROS in oxidative stress are capable of damaging DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids, which consequently leads to cell death, inflammation, aging, and occurrence of various diseases [3]. Antioxidants are molecules that inhibit oxidation of other molecules and thus protect them from the oxidative stress. Quercetin is known to have antioxidant activity that inhibits hydrogen peroxide–induced DNA damage and helps preventing degenerative diseases, including cancer [4]. The aim of our study was to test the enhancing effect of antioxidant quercetin on Chinese hamster‘s ovary cell electroporation efficiency and survival. For that purpose cells were electroporated with one 2 ms-duration rectangular 100-400 V/cm pulse and seeded into the cell growing medium supplemented with different concentrations of quarcetin. The effect of these substances on the viability of the cells was assessed by applying cell colony-forming assay. Our results indicate that the presence of added antioxidant quercetin improves cell viability and survival after electroporation compared with the control group, most likely, by protecting them from the oxidative stress. [...]