Mechanical forces, such as shear and compressive stresses, regulate the biological processes in the human body and are closely related to cancer progression. Nevertheless, they are seldom accounted for in experimental models, generating results that bear a resemblance to the actual physiological reality but are not necessarily accurate. This lack of biomechanical stimulation can also be observed in many of the cutting-edge Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) systems. Additionally, the employment of syringe pumps and external pipe connections in the OOC mechanism represents a greater risk of contamination. Centrifugal microfluidic platforms aspire to bridge this gap via a versatile design that incorporates mechanical forces, generated by pseudo forces.<br/><br/>In this study, we are investigating the effects of mechanical and pseudo forces in Caco-2 epithelial cell behavior. Hence, we created two microfluidic discs with different designs, thereby allowing the study of diverse variables. The first disc contained a GelMA layer for cell attachment and was used to test the effect of centrifugal force on the direction of cell growth. The second disc incorporated a microballoon and a Petri dish, in order to examine the impact of medicine reciprocation on the aforementioned cancer cells at an alternating spinning speed.<br/><br/>The preliminary results indicate that cell growth has a tendency to follow the direction of the centrifugal force, as several cell clusters were pushed towards the outer rim of the disc. An elongated morphology was observed in these cells, which can also be attributed to the pseudo force. In addition, in the drug testing disc, after 24 hrs of incubation, cis-platinum destroyed about 25% and 45% of the Caco-2 cells in a well-plate (control) and the disc, respectively. After 32 hrs, the mortality rate in the disc and control increased by 60% and 20%, respectively. Therefore, by inducing mechanical forces on a disc, we reveal that not only is it possible to control the direction of cell growth, but these forces also enhance the medicine’s effectiveness. Consequently, the disc can mimic the human body’s physiological system, enabling the development of a more accurate bioengineering testing model.

Mechanical manipulation of Caco-2 Cell behavior on centrifugal microfluidic platforms

2019 Spring National Meeting

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