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Elucidating in vitro cell-cell interaction using a microfluidic coculture system.

Cheng-Wey Wei·Ji-Yen Cheng·Tai-Horng Young
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Abstract

This work presents a novel microfluidic coculture system that improves the accuracy of evaluating the interaction between cocultured cell types. A microfluidic coculture chip, fabricated by CO(2) laser direct-writing on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), was designed to separate two cell types using a microchannel, while permitting transfer of cellular media. The system has two up-stream wells and five down-stream wells. As an example, released inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)), activated in up-stream macrophages, flow through a microfluidic mixing system, generating linear concentration gradients in down-stream wells and inducing down-stream osteoblasts to release prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a well-known bone resorption marker. Osteoblast viability was assessed by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. This novel coculture system can be applied to evaluate cell-cell interaction while physically separating interacting cells.

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Cell CommunicationCell LineCoculture TechniquesEquipment DesignEquipment Failure AnalysisFlow Injection AnalysisHumansInterleukin-1MacrophagesMicrofluidic Analytical TechniquesOsteoblastsTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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Cheng-Wey Wei, Ji-Yen Cheng, Tai-Horng Young. 2006. Elucidating in vitro cell-cell interaction using a microfluidic coculture system.. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10544-006-6384-8

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