Dielectric Characterization of Human Dermal Fibroblast Monolayers Using a Capacitive Sensor Array

Abstract

This study presents a non-invasive electrical approach for the real-time characterization of human dermal fibroblast (HDFa) monolayers using a capacitive sensor array combined with phasor analysis. Voltage and current signals were acquired under low-intensity alternating excitation, enabling the estimation of the effective capacitance of the culture system across a controlled frequency sweep. The results revealed frequency-dependent capacitance variations that differentiate the electrical behavior of the biological culture from that of a passive dielectric substrate. A first-order phenomenological model was introduced to interpret these variations in terms of macroscopic dielectric properties. Although no direct biological assays were performed, the proposed metric should be understood as an electrical indicator sensitive to dielectric changes rather than as a direct measurement of cell viability. These findings highlight the potential of capacitance-based phasorial analysis as a complementary strategy for non-invasive electrical monitoring of in vitro cell culture systems.