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JRM Vol.38 No.5 pp. 1307-1316
(2026)

Paper:

Electrically Induced Bubble-Assisted Substance Delivery into Intact Plant Cells and Tissues

Yuudai Aokusa* ORCID Icon, Kei Tateishi*, Nobutoshi Ota* ORCID Icon, Mayu Nakahigashi*, Shigeaki Miura*, Yasuhiro Moriizumi**, So Makabe**, and Yoko Yamanishi* ORCID Icon

*Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University
744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan

**BEX Corporation
2-61-14 Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0004, Japan

Received:
April 19, 2026
Accepted:
June 30, 2026
Published:
October 20, 2026
Keywords:
plant gene delivery, electrically induced bubble, cavitation, electrical stimulation, mechanical stimulation
Abstract

Substance injection into plant cells is typically performed using protoplasts, in which the cell wall has been removed. However, the process of removing the cell wall imposes significant stress on the cells, making injection into tissue-like structures difficult. Injecting substances into plants not only streamlines plant breeding but also enables the introduction of sensors for detecting plant hormone responses, thereby facilitating the understanding and control of plant physiological states. This study proposes a method for injecting molecules into plants without removing the cell wall by utilizing the cavitation effect of electrically induced bubbles. The proposed device consists of a metal wire positioned inside a glass tube. By varying the diameter of the metal wire, the electrical and mechanical stimulation applied to the target can be controlled. Using this method, successful gene delivery was confirmed by fluorescence observation and RT-PCR analysis in plant cells (Tobacco BY-2 cells, Nicotiana tabacum L.) and plant tissue (Arabidopsis thaliana, hereafter referred to as Arabidopsis) without removing the cell wall. Considering the limited efficiency of gene delivery into plants using conventional electroporation, these results suggest that combining mechanical stimulation with electrical stimulation is an effective approach for substance delivery. Furthermore, because the delivery conditions can be tuned by adjusting the electrical and mechanical parameters, the proposed method has the potential to be applied to a wide range of plant and animal tissues.

Substance delivery to plants by a bubble injector

Substance delivery to plants by a bubble injector

Cite this article as:
Y. Aokusa, K. Tateishi, N. Ota, M. Nakahigashi, S. Miura, Y. Moriizumi, S. Makabe, and Y. Yamanishi, “Electrically Induced Bubble-Assisted Substance Delivery into Intact Plant Cells and Tissues,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.38 No.5, pp. 1307-1316, 2026.
Data files:
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Last updated on Oct. 19, 2026