A polystyrene-based microfluidic device with three-dimensional interconnected microporous walls for perfusion cell...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Long-term cell culture is crucial for studying cellular functions and drug responses.
• Existing microfluidic devices often face challenges in maintaining cell viability and function over extended periods.
• Developing advanced microfluidic platforms is essential for mimicking in vivo environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, rapid-prototyped polystyrene-based microfluidic device.
• To engineer three-dimensional (3D) interconnected microporous walls within the device.
• To demonstrate the device's capability for long-term perfusion cell culture.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a polystyrene microfluidic device using rapid prototyping.
• Creation of patterned 3D interconnected microporous structures via chemical treatment and masking.
• Selective surface modification of microporous structures from hydrophobic to hydrophilic using oxygen plasma treatment and masking.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of a polystyrene microfluidic device with 3D interconnected microporous walls.
• Demonstrated selective surface hydrophilicity of the microporous structures.
• Successfully supported four days of continuous perfusion cell culture of hepatocytes (C3A cells).

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic device offers a promising platform for long-term perfusion cell culture.
• The 3D microporous architecture and surface modification are key to supporting sustained cell culture.
• This technology has potential applications in drug screening, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine.