Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis for the Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy of Changes to Intercellular Junctions Induced by Cold Atmospheric Plasma

The influence of pertinent parameters of a Cole-Cole model in the impedimetric assessment of cell-monolayers was investigated with respect to the significance of their individual contribution. The analysis enables conclusions on characteristics, such as intercellular junctions. Especially cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has been proven to influence intercellular junctions which may become a key factor in CAP-related biological effects. Therefore, the response of rat liver epithelial cells (WB-F344) and their malignant counterpart (WB-ras) was studied by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Cell monolayers before and after CAP treatment were analyzed. An uncertainty quantification (UQ) of Cole parameters revealed the frequency cut-off point between low and high frequency resistances. A sensitivity analysis (SA) showed that the Cole parameters, R-0 and alpha were the most sensitive, while R-inf and tau were the least sensitive. The temporal development of major Cole parameters indicates that CAP induced reversible changes in intercellular junctions, but not significant changes in membrane permeability. Sustained changes of tau suggested that long-lived ROS, such as H2O2, might play an important role. The proposed analysis confirms that an inherent advantage of EIS is the real time observation for CAP-induced changes on intercellular junctions, with a label-free and in situ method manner.

Automated summary

The influence of a Cole-Cole model's pertinent parameters on the assessment of cell-monolayers using electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was investigated. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) was found to have an effect on intercellular junctions, potentially playing a key role in CAP-related biological effects. The analysis of Cole parameters revealed the frequency cut-off point between low and high frequency resistances, while the sensitivity analysis showed that certain parameters were more sensitive than others. The results indicated reversible changes in intercellular junctions and sustained changes in membrane permeability induced by CAP.