Modulation of Matrix Softness and Interstitial Flow for 3D Cell Culture Using a Cell-Microenvironment-on-a-Chip System
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: In the past several decades, significant efforts have been devoted to recapitulating the in vivo tissue microenvironment within an in vitro platform. However, it is still challenging to recreate de novo tissue with physiologically relevant matrix properties and fluid flow. To this end, this study demonstrates a method to independently tailor matrix stiffness and interstitial fluid flow using a cell-microenvironment-on-a-chip (C-MOC) platform. Collagen-polyethylene glycol gels tailored to present controlled stiffness and hydraulic conductivity were fabricated in a microfluidic chip. The chip was assembled to continuously create a steady flow of media through the gel. In the C-MOC platform, interstitial flow mitigated the effects of matrix softness on breast cancer cell behavior, according to an immunostaining-based analysis of estrogen receptor-α (ER-α), integrin β1, and E-cadherin. This advanced cell culture platform serves to engineer tissue similar to in vitro tissue and contribute to better understanding and regulating of the biological roles of extracellular microenvironments.
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Mayo Clinic, Walther Cancer Foundation, Dow Chemical Company, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, University of Illinois System, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, National Institutes of Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
OpenAlex ID: W2521901370