Testing Lab-on-a-Chip Technology for Culturing Human Melanoma Cells under Simulated Microgravity.

Area of Science:

• Space biology
• Cell physiology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Space industry growth increases accessibility for biological research.
• Simulated microgravity (sµg) on Earth allows preliminary space research.
• Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices offer potential for microgravity studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the effect of short-term sµg exposure on human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and melanoma cells (A375).
• To evaluate the biocompatibility of all-glass LOCs for microgravity cell culture.
• To assess cell viability, mitochondrial and caspase activity, and proliferation under sµg.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 3D-clinostat (3D-C) to simulate microgravity.
• Cultured HaCaT and A375 cells on all-glass Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) devices and standard dishes.
• Performed assays for cell viability, mitochondrial activity, caspase activity, and proliferation.

Main Results:

• Confirmed the biocompatibility of all-glass LOCs for cell culture.
• Demonstrated that HaCaT and A375 cells are susceptible to simulated microgravity.
• Observed increased caspase activity and decreased proliferation in A375 cancer cells on LOCs compared to standard cultures.

Conclusions:

• All-glass LOCs are suitable for microgravity research on human cell lines.
• Simulated microgravity impacts human keratinocyte and melanoma cell behavior.
• LOC systems show promise for future space-based cancer research.