Microfluidic platforms for mechanobiology

Abstract

Mechanotransduction has been a topic of considerable interest since early studies demonstrated a link between mechanical force and biological response. Until recently, studies of fundamental phenomena were based either on in vivo experiments with limited control or direct access, or on large-scale in vitro studies lacking many of the potentially important physiological factors. With the advent of microfluidics, many of the previous limitations of in vitro testing were eliminated or reduced through greater control or combined functionalities. At the same time, imaging capabilities were tremendously enhanced. In this review, we discuss how microfluidics has transformed the study of mechanotransduction. This is done in the context of the various cell types that exhibit force-induced responses and the new biological insights that have been elucidated. We also discuss new microfluidic studies that could produce even more realistic models of in vivo conditions by combining multiple stimuli or creating a more realistic microenvironment.

Using microfluidic chip to form brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration gradient for studying neuron axon guidance

“…3(c) shows the directions and the number of axon in different chamber area of BDNF gradient microfluidic chip; we can see more axons turning towards the high concentration gradient. In control group, the number of axons towards to quadrant 4 was slightly higher than other quadrants, which may be due to the fluidic mechanical stress (Polacheck et al, 2013).…”

In vitro-ex vivo model systems for nanosafety assessment

“…Insoluble signals can also be reproduced by modifying the cell culture surface topography or stiffness, and/or by the addition of specific extracellular matrices (59). Mechanical stimuli, such as the cyclic mechanical strain of respiration movements, are additional and important factors that affect the cellular and organ homeostasis (60).…”

The Migration of Cancer Cells in Gradually Varying Chemical Gradients and Mechanical Constraints

“…The upregulation of a variety of chemokines and other growth factors, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) [11] and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has also been shown to be associated with cancer metastasis [12]. Mechano-transduction mechanisms have also been postulated, which state that cells are capable of converting mechanical signals to a series of biochemical, molecular and cellular events [4,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…Microfluidics has rapidly developed in recent years and become one of the well-recognized technologies in analytical bio-medical sciences, including molecular separation, biochemical assays, drug screening, electro-chromatography and invasion assays, to name a few [4,, owing to its advantages, such as the small amounts of reagents/liquid required, the ease of optical observation, biochemical probing, the quick prototyping of fluidic configuration and the possibility of single cell examination. Microfluidics has been used to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cell migration and metastasis [43,[45][46][47] and recently utilized as a powerful platform to study single cell chemotactic migration.…”

“…These cellular responses may have resulted from biochemical stimulation and/or mechanical force-induced signal transduction. It has been reported that the metastasis of breast cancer, is mediated by the stimulation of chemokines and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The upregulation of a variety of chemokines and other growth factors, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) [11] and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has also been shown to be associated with cancer metastasis [12].…”