Electric fields can be focused by micropipette-based electrodes to induce stresses on cell membranes leading to tension and
poration. To date, however, these membrane stress distributions have not been quantified. In this study, we determine membrane
tension, stress, and strain distributions in the vicinity of a microelectrode using finite element analysis of a multiscale
electro-mechanical model of pipette, media, membrane, actin cortex, and cytoplasm. Electric field forces are coupled to membranes
using the Maxwell stress tensor and membrane electrocompression theory. Results suggest that micropipette electrodes provide
a new non-contact method to deliver physiological stresses directly to membranes in a focused and controlled manner, thus
providing the quantitative foundation for micreoelectrotension, a new technique for membrane mechanobiology.
Keywords Electrotension - Electroporation - Transmembrane potential - Mechanotransduction - Mechanobiology - Endothelial cells