Tumor treatment fields (TTFields) can effectively inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, but its mechanism remains exclusive. The destruction of cellular microtubule structure caused by TTFields through electric field force is considered to be the main reason for inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. However, the validity of this hypothesis still lacks exploration at the mesoscopic level. Therefore, in this study, we built force models for tubulins subjected to TTFields, based on the physical and electrical properties of tubulin molecules. We theoretically analyzed and simulated the dynamic effects of electric field force and torque on tubulin monomer polymerization, as well as the alignment and orientation of α/β tubulin heterodimer, respectively. Research results indicate that the interference of electric field force induced by TTFields on tubulin monomer is notably weaker than the inherent electrostatic binding force among tubulin monomers. Additionally, the electric field torque generated by the TTFileds on α/β tubulin dimers is also difficult to affect their random alignment. Therefore, at the mesoscale, our study affirms that TTFields are improbable to destabilize cellular microtubule structures via electric field dynamics effects. These results challenge the traditional view that TTFields destroy the microtubule structure of cells through TTFields electric field force, and proposes a new approach that should pay more attention to the "non-mechanical" effects of TTFields in the study of TTFields mechanism. This study can provide reliable theoretical basis and inspire new research directions for revealing the mesoscopic bioelectrical mechanism of TTFields.
Citation： LI Xing, LIU Kaida, GUO Cong, FANG Tianrui, YANG Fan. Study on the mesoscopic dynamic effects of tumor treating fields on cell tubulin. Journal of Biomedical Engineering, 2024, 41(3): 569-576. doi: 10.7507/1001-5515.202312063 Copy