Electroporation-based therapy (EBT), as a high-voltage-pulse technology has been prevalent with favorable clinical outcomes in the treatment of various solid tumors. The aim of this review paper is to promote the clinical translation of EBT for brain tumors. First, we briefly introduced the mechanism of pore formation in a cell membrane activated by external electric fields using a single cell model. Then, we summarized and discussed the current in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies, in terms of (1) the safety and effectiveness of EBT for brain tumors in animal models, and (2) the blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption induced by EBT. Two therapeutic effects could be achieved in EBT for brain tumors simultaneously, i.e., the tumor ablation induced by irreversible electroporation (IRE) and transient blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption induced by reversible electroporation (RE). The BBB disruption could potentially improve the uptake of anti-tumor drugs thereby enhancing brain tumor treatment. The challenges that hinder the application of EBT in the treatment of human brain tumors are discussed in the review paper as well.
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