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Updated: May 9, 2025
Compartmentalization of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons within Pre-Assembled Plastic Microfluidic Chips
Published on: May 3, 2019
Encapsulation of trabecular meshwork mesenchymal stem cell using microfluidic system for differentiation into
Sina Rahmani1,2, Samad Nadri3,4,5, Mehdi Eskandari2
1Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
Objective:
Neurodegenerative diseases are a class of nervous system disorders characterized by progressive neuronal degeneration and loss of function. Among emerging therapeutic approaches, microfluidic-enabled stem cell encapsulation and transplantation has gained recognition as a promising strategy for mitigating neuronal damage. In this work, human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), isolated from trabecular meshwork (TM) tissue, were successfully encapsulated and differentiated into neural-like cells via a microfluidic platform to demonstrate their potential for neural repair applications.
Materials And Methods:
The isolated mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on a microfluidic system (fabricated by soft lithography methods) and treated with medium containing DMEM supplemented with RA, IBMX, and forskolin for 7 days. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to analyze differentiated TM-MSC and their expression of neural-like specific markers such as Nestin and b-tubulin 3.
Results:
qPCR analysis revealed the presence of genes characteristic of neural cells (Nestin and β-tubulin 3) in cells differentiated both within a microfluidic system and on traditional tissue culture plates (TCPS). qPCR result showed that cells on 1.5% alginate showed higher expression of β-tubulin 3 compared to those on 1% alginate, 2% alginate, and TCPS (p < 0.0001). In contrast, Nestin expression showed no statistically significant differences across all pairwise comparisons (p > 0.05 for all groups).
Conclusion:
The findings indicate that mesenchymal stem cells derived from the trabecular meshwork (TM-MSCs) may serve as promising candidates for cell-based therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, the microfluidic platform implemented in this study exhibits potential utility as a delivery vehicle for TM-MSCs in therapeutic interventions targeting neurological disorders.
