• Abstract
• Full-Text PDF [509 KB]

• Article Statistics
• Google Scholar
• Order Reprints

• Cite this article
• Export to BibTeX
• Export to EndNote

• [+] on DOAJ
• Palanisami, A
• Mercier, G
• Fang, J
• Miller Jr., J
• [+] on Google Scholar
• Palanisami, A
• Mercier, G
• Fang, J
• Miller Jr., J
• [+] on PubMed
• Palanisami, A
• Mercier, G
• Fang, J
• Miller Jr., J

•  CiteULike
•  Facebook
•  Mendeley
•  Twitter

This article is

• freely available
• re-usable

Biosensors 2011, 1(2), 46-57; doi:10.3390/bios1020046

Article

Nonlinear Impedance of Whole Cells Near an Electrode as a Probe of Mitochondrial Activity

Akilan Palanisami ^†,* , George T. Mercier ^† , Jie Fang and John H. Miller Jr.

Department of Physics and Texas Center for Superconductivity, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA ^† These authors equally contributed to this work.

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 3 March 2011; in revised form: 25 March 2011 / Accepted: 7 April 2011 / Published: 11 April 2011

Download PDF Full-Text [509 KB, uploaded 11 April 2011 10:33 CEST]

Abstract: By simultaneously measuring the bulk media and electrode interface voltages of a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) suspension subjected to an AC voltage, a yeast-dependent nonlinear response was found only near the current injection electrodes. Computer simulation of yeast near a current injection electrode found an enhanced voltage drop across the yeast near the electrode due to slowed charging of the electrode interfacial capacitance. This voltage drop is sufficient to induce conformation change in membrane proteins. Disruption of the mitochondrial electron transport chain is found to significantly change the measured nonlinear current response, suggesting nonlinear impedance can be used as a non-invasive probe of cellular metabolic activity.

Keywords: nonlinear dielectric spectroscopy; bioimpedance; mitochondria; fermentation

Article Statistics

Cite This Article