A BIOMIMETIC MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE FOR THE STUDY OF THE RESPONSE OF ENDOTHELIAL CELLS UNDER MECHANICAL FORCES

Vascular science is an active area of medicine and biological research. In recent years, intensive research has been focused on the reaction of endothelial cells (ECs) to relevant biological, chemical, or physical cues in vitro. The primary thing of these studies is to make a biomimic environment of ECs which is closer to the in vivo conditions. Here we developed a microfluidic system and fabricated a grooved micropattern thin film to simulate inner blood vessel wall. The micropattern structure was generated by using the elastic biocompatible material poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on the grooved micropattern film. After the cells reached confluence, the thin PDMS film with cells was inserted into the biological grade plastic tube. Then cell culture medium was perfused into the tube and the cellular responses under shear stress and pressure were investigated. The F-actin cytoskeleton and the nuclei of the cells were stained for examination. This microfluidic system provides a convenient and cost-effective platform for the studies of cellular response to mechanical forces. Moreover, this system could also be used for studying cellular responses to drugs under mechanical forces.