ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we review the application of dyes and µuorescent probes to test the e¤ciency and selectivity of the molecular transport through electropores. ese methods can be used to optimize the experimental conditions for electroporation-supported drug delivery. ey can also be used for estimation of electropore characteristics, such as the pore density and median radius. ese evaluations, however, can be very imprecise if applied without a regard for the nanometer size range of the pore, or assuming an overly simpli ed model of its shape. e nanometer scale of the markers and pores greatly inµuence the di usion of molecules, which interact with the pore walls and other transported molecules and ions. In this chapter, we present computational results showing the sensitivity of the di usion to the ratio of the pore and probe radii, and to the pore shape. Computer simulations based on the three-dimensional Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) model show how the free di usion assumption and cylindrical representation of the pore a ect the error scale in modeling molecular probe transport.
