Flow bioreactor design for quantitative measurements over endothelial cells using micro-particle image velocimetry

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Mechanotransduction in endothelial cells (ECs) is crucial for responding to hemodynamic forces.
• Existing in vitro devices have limitations in precisely measuring cellular responses to mechanical loading.
• Understanding cellular responses to flow is vital for cardiovascular research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, validate, and utilize a novel flow chamber for studying endothelial cell mechanotransduction.
• To enable spatially and temporally resolved measurements of endothelial surface topography and stresses.
• To investigate the effects of pulsatile flow and different substrates on ECs and co-cultures.

Main Methods:

• Development of a flow chamber for in vitro simulation of physiological hemodynamic conditions.
• Integration of micro-particle image velocimetry (μPIV) for detailed flow field analysis.
• Measurement of endothelial surface topography and calculation of shear stress and wall pressure distributions on individual ECs.

Main Results:

• The flow chamber successfully measured endothelial surface topography under steady and pulsatile flow.
• Distributions of shear stress and wall pressure on individual ECs were determined.
• The study highlights the significance of both shear stress and wall pressure in EC remodeling.

Conclusions:

• The developed flow chamber is a valuable tool for investigating EC mechanotransduction.
• Accurate measurement of EC surface topography and stresses provides insights into cell remodeling.
• This technology can advance the study of cardiovascular diseases and cellular responses to flow.