A Microfluidic Platform Based on Robust Gas and Liquid Exchange for Long-term Culturing of Explanted Tissues

Abstract

Microfluidic devices are important platforms to culture and observe biological tissues. Compared with conventional setups, microfluidic devices have advantages in perfusion, including an enhanced delivery of nutrients and gases to tissues. However, explanted tissues can maintain their functions for only hours to days in microfluidic devices, although their observations are desired for weeks. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a brain region composed of heterogeneous cells to control the biological clock system through synchronizing individual cells in this region. The synchronized and complicated cell-cell interactions of SCN cells are difficult to reproduce from seeded cells. Thus, the viability of explanted SCN contributes to the study of SCN functions. In this paper, we propose a new perfusion platform combining a PDMS microfluidic device with a porous membrane to culture an explanted SCN for 25 days. We expect that this platform will provide a universal interface for microfluidic manipulation of tissue explants.

Intestinal explant barrier chip: long-term intestinal absorption screening in a novel microphysiological system using tissue explants

“…Using fresh tissue explants in drug absorption studies instead of single-cell monolayer cultures has clear advantages. 41 Nevertheless, explants are often integrated in a single microchannel in microfluidic devices, 42,43 where a single flow passes the tissue from all sides, mainly due to technical challenges. One of the challenges to hold tissue explants between two compartments, separating the luminal and basolateral sides of the tissue, is to seal the edges of the tissue in such a way that no undesired side leakage occurs between the two compartments.…”

Comprehensive multiplexed superfusion system enables physiological emulation in cell culture: exemplification by persistent circadian entrainment

“…Previously reported demonstration of perfusion culture for circadian rhythm have been limited to close-channel configuration with minimal throughput. 38,39 Here to establish the utility of the multiplexed superfusion system in circadian entrainment, we deployed the system in a commercial live-cell bioluminescence imaging platform, the Alligator Luminescence System (CAIRN Research, UK), which is a high-throughput luminometer modified from a standard CO 2 cell culture incubator. The mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cell-line, generated from knock-in Per2::Luc mice is used, as this fusion protein shows the same circadian pattern as native Per2.…”

User‐friendly cell patterning methods using a polydimethylsiloxane mold with microchannels

“…The methods described here are premised on analysis in vitro. However, by using microfluidic devices, it is possible to apply them to vivo systems such as long‐term culture of biological tissue that controls functions of cell and tissue (Ota et al, ), and gene transfer into egg cells (Sumiyama et al, ). Including these techniques, we expect further development of microfluidic devices in the life science field.…”