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Blood vessel-on-a-chip examines the biomechanics of microvasculature.

Paul F SalipanteSteven D HudsonStella Alimperti
Published in: Soft matter (2021)
We use a three-dimensional (3D) microvascular platform to measure the elasticity and membrane permeability of the endothelial cell layer. The microfluidic platform is connected with a pneumatic pressure controller to apply hydrostatic pressure. The deformation is measured by tracking the mean vessel diameter under varying pressures up to 300 Pa. We obtain a value for the Young's modulus of the cell layer in low strain where a linear elastic response is observed and use a hyperelastic model that describes the strain hardening observed at larger strains (pressure). A fluorescent dye is used to track the flow through the cell layer to determine the membrane flow resistance as a function of applied pressure. Finally, we track the 3D positions of cell nuclei while the vessel is pressurized to observe local deformation and correlate inter-cell deformation with the local structure of the cell layer. This approach is able to probe the mechanical properties of blood vessels in vitro and provides a methodology for investigating microvascular related diseases.
Keyphrases
  • single cell
  • cell therapy
  • high throughput
  • endothelial cells
  • stem cells
  • escherichia coli
  • living cells
  • middle aged
  • single molecule
  • optical coherence tomography