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Creating Sub-50 Nm Nanofluidic Junctions in PDMS Microfluidic Chip via Self-Assembly Process of Colloidal Particles
Published on: March 13, 2016
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Patterned Fibers Embedded Microfluidic Chips Based on PLA and PDMS for Ag Nanoparticle Safety Testing.
Yaowen Liu1,2, Shuyao Wang3, Yihao Wang4
1College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan 625014, China. lyw@my.swjtu.edu.cn.
Polymers
|April 13, 2019
Summary
Researchers developed a novel microfluidic chip integrating patterned fibers for liver tissue engineering. This dynamic system enhances hepatocyte function and shows promise for nanoparticle toxicity screening.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Developing functional liver tissue models is crucial for drug screening and disease research.
- Existing methods often struggle to replicate the complex microenvironment of the liver.
- Poly-dl-lactide (PLA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are common biomaterials with potential for tissue engineering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel microfluidic chip for liver tissue engineering.
- To investigate hepatocyte behavior and function under dynamic culture conditions within the chip.
- To assess the utility of the microfluidic chip for nanoparticle toxicity testing.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a microfluidic chip by integrating lithography-patterned poly-dl-lactide (PLA) electrospun fibers with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) base.
- Seeding and culturing hepatocytes within the microfluidic chip under both static and dynamic (flow) conditions.
- Immunohistochemical analysis to evaluate hepatocyte survival, spheroid formation, and polarity.
- Biochemical assays to measure albumin and urea secretion.
- Hepatotoxicity assessment using nano-silver (nano-Ag) exposure.
Main Results:
- Successful integration of PLA patterned electrospun fibers with a PDMS microfluidic chip.
- Enhanced hepatocyte survival and spheroid formation in the dynamic microfluidic system compared to static conditions and tissue culture plates.
- Re-establishment of hepatocyte polarity and biliary excretion under a flow rate of 10 μL/min.
- Sustained high levels of albumin and urea secretion by hepatocytes over 15 days.
- Sensitive and consistent detection of nano-Ag-induced hepatotoxicity.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic chip provides a viable platform for fabricating complex liver tissue-engineered scaffolds.
- Dynamic culture conditions within the microfluidic chip significantly improve hepatocyte function and viability.
- This system offers a valuable tool for the toxicity screening of nanoparticles and other compounds.
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