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Hydrogel-coated microfluidic channels for cardiomyocyte culture
Nasim Annabi1, Šeila Selimović, Juan Pablo Acevedo Cox
1Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Lab on a Chip
|June 4, 2013
Summary
Researchers developed a new hydrogel coating for microfluidic devices, improving cell attachment and function. Tropoelastin hydrogels enhance cardiomyocyte behavior in organ-on-a-chip models for drug development.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Organ-on-a-chip technology is crucial for drug development and tissue engineering.
- Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic devices lack cell attachment properties.
- Cell-compatible coatings are needed to improve microfluidic cell culture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for coating microfluidic channels with cell-compatible hydrogels.
- To evaluate gelatin and tropoelastin hydrogels as coatings for microfluidic devices.
- To assess the impact of hydrogel coatings on cardiomyocyte attachment, alignment, and beating.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized photocrosslinkable gelatin and tropoelastin hydrogels.
- Coated microfluidic channels (50 μm wide) with hydrogel solutions under continuous flow.
- Seeded primary cardiomyocytes on hydrogel-coated channels and analyzed cellular behavior.
Main Results:
- Tropoelastin hydrogel coatings promoted preferred cardiomyocyte attachment and higher spontaneous beating rates compared to gelatin.
- Cardiomyocyte attachment, alignment, and beating were superior on 5% (w/v) hydrogel coatings versus 10% (w/v).
- Cardiomyocytes exhibited favorable responses to soft tropoelastin substrates.
Conclusions:
- Tropoelastin-based hydrogels are a promising coating for organ-on-a-chip applications requiring elastic tissues.
- The developed hydrogel coating method enhances cellular function in microfluidic systems.
- This approach may facilitate the engineering of elastic tissues like blood vessels using microfluidics.
