Alzheimer model chip with microglia BV2 cells

Amyloid beta oligomers (AβO) are pivotal in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), cleared by microglia cells, as immune cells in the brain. Microglia cells exposed to AβO are involved with migration, apoptosis, phagocytosis, and activated microglial receptors through AβO, impacting cellular mechanobiological characteristics such as microglial adhesion strength to the underlying substrate. Herein, a label-free microfluidic device was used to detect advancing AD conditions with increasing AβO concentrations on microglia BV2 cells by quantitatively comparing the cell-substrate adhesion. The microfluidic device, acting as an AD model, comprises a single channel, which functions as a cell adhesion assay. To assess cell-substrate adhesion under different AβO concentrations of 1 µM, 2.5 µM, and 5 µM, the number of the cells attached to the substrate was counted by real-time microscopy when the cells were under the flow shear stress of 3 Pa and 7.5 Pa corresponding to Reynolds number (Re) of 10 and 25, respectively. The data showed that quantifying the cell-substrate adhesion using the microfluidic device could successfully identify conditions of advancing AβO concentrations. Our findings indicated that the increased incubation time with AβO caused reduced cell-substrate adhesion strength. Additionally, increased AβO concentration was another factor that weakened microglial interaction with the substrate. The quantification of cell-substrate adhesion using 3 Pa compared to 7.5 Pa clearly demonstrated advancing AβO in AD. This study using the chip provides an AD model for a deeper understanding mechanobiological behaviors of microglia exposed to AβO corresponding to diagnosed AD conditions under an in vitro microenvironment.