Molecular Delivery to Cells Facilitated by Corona Ion Deposition

A novel method of inducing the delivery of nonpermeant molecules to the cytosol of cells is presented in this paper. Corona discharge in air was utilized to produce ions that in turn were deposited onto the liquid surface of media containing cultured cells. Murine B16 melanoma cells were used to demonstrate the molecular delivery of fluorescent dye calcein, the drug bleomycin, and a nucleic acid stain SYTOX-green. None of these molecules penetrate cells with intact membranes. Following the corona treatment, cells were observed to admit significant quantities of these molecules from the culture media, relative to control samples. Further, greater than 95% viability of treated cells was observed by Trypan Blue assay. This method may provide an attractive alternative to electroporation where a physical contact between electrodes and cells is needed to deliver molecules to the cytosol.