Pore formation in cell membranes is widely used to deliver hydrophilic substances to the cell interior, such as DNA, drugs etc. Among the methods used for pore formation are electroporation and exposure of the membrane to mild surfactants, such as digitonin or lysolipid. Pore formation in the first case is a result of the apparent electrocompression generated across the membrane, while in the second case, it is a result of the preferential partitioning of the surfactant molecules at the edge of spontaneously formed membrane defects. Both in electroporation and when surfactants are used, pores form mainly in lipid membrane domains. Thus, the use of model membranes allows us to access important characteristics of pore formation and dynamics, such as their dependence on membrane composition and far field membrane tension. The role of these characteristics in pore formation is studied by using single lipid vesicles, which are manipulated by glass micropipets.
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