Surface modifications of COP-based microfluidic devices for improved immobilisation of hydrogel proteins: long-term 3D culture with contractile cell types and ischaemia model

González-Lana, Sandra ; Randelovic, Teodora ; Ciriza, Jesús (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; López-Valdeolivas, María ; Monge, Rosa ; Sánchez-Somolinos, Carlos ; Ochoa, Ignacio (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: The tissue microenvironment plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis and disease progression. However, the in vitro simulation has been limited by the lack of adequate biomimetic models in the last decades. Thanks to the advent of microfluidic technology for cell culture applications, these complex microenvironments can be recreated by combining hydrogels, cells and microfluidic devices. Nevertheless, this advance has several limitations. When cultured in three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels inside microfluidic devices, contractile cells may exert forces that eventually collapse the 3D structure. Disrupting the compartmentalisation creates an obstacle to long-term or highly cell-concentrated assays, which are extremely relevant for multiple applications such as fibrosis or ischaemia. Therefore, we tested surface treatments on cyclic-olefin polymer-based microfluidic devices (COP-MD) to promote the immobilisation of collagen as a 3D matrix protein. Thus, we compared three surface treatments in COP devices for culturing human cardiac fibroblasts (HCF) embedded in collagen hydrogels. We determined the immobilisation efficiency of collagen hydrogel by quantifying the hydrogel transversal area within the devices at the studied time points. Altogether, our results indicated that surface modification with polyacrylic acid photografting (PAA-PG) of COP-MD is the most effective treatment to avoid the quick collapse of collagen hydrogels. As a proof-of-concept experiment, and taking advantage of the low-gas permeability properties of COP-MD, we studied the application of PAA-PG pre-treatment to generate a self-induced ischaemia model. Different necrotic core sizes were developed depending on initial HCF density seeding with no noticeable gel collapse. We conclude that PAA-PG allows long-term culture, gradient generation and necrotic core formation of contractile cell types such as myofibroblasts. This novel approach will pave the way for new relevant in vitro co-culture models where fibroblasts play a key role such as wound healing, tumour microenvironment and ischaemia within microfluidic devices.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00075c

Año: 2023

Publicado en: Lab on a chip 23, 10 (2023), 2434-2446
ISSN: 1473-0197

Factor impacto JCR: 6.1 (2023)

Categ. JCR: BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS rank: 5 / 85 = 0.059 (2023) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL rank: 8 / 106 = 0.075 (2023) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: INSTRUMENTS & INSTRUMENTATION rank: 7 / 76 = 0.092 (2023) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY rank: 50 / 230 = 0.217 (2023) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: NANOSCIENCE & NANOTECHNOLOGY rank: 39 / 140 = 0.279 (2023) - Q2 - T1

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 11.1 - Chemistry (all) (Q1) - Biomedical Engineering (Q1) - Bioengineering (Q1) - Biochemistry (Q1)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.246 - Biochemistry (Q1) - Bioengineering (Q1) - Biomedical Engineering (Q1) - Chemistry (miscellaneous) (Q1) - Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Q2)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2021-126051OB-C41
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E15-20R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E47-20R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/LMP221_21
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T62-20R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/778354/EU/Heart On chip based on induced pluripotent Stem cell Technology for personalized Medicine/CISTEM
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/829010/EU/Advanced and versatile PRInting platform for the next generation of active Microfluidic dEvices/PRIME
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PFIS/IF16-00050
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/DI2017-09585
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/PID2020-118485RB-I00

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Area Histología (Dpto. Anatom.Histolog.Humanas)