Figure 2. When used in concert with an externally applied PEF, cationic peptides can be used to enhance membrane disruption at lower PEF intensities at the anode-facing cell membrane.

When a cell rests in an ionic medium containing membrane impermeable entities (A) and cationic peptides are added to that medium (B), a PEF can be used to accumulate those cationic peptides about the anode-facing membrane (C) where the anode-facing membrane can experience a local increases in electrostatic potential near individual peptides (V _p) plus enhanced electrostatic potential due to the ion relocation due to the applied field (V _e). These local enhancements in transmembrane electrostatic potentials can result in anodally preferenced electroporation at lower PEF intensities (D) and subsequent internalization of normally membrane-impermeable entities through the anode-facing membrane (E).