Fabrication of low-cost micropatterned polydimethyl-siloxane scaffolds to organise cells in a variety of two-dimensioanl biomimetic arrangements for lab-on-chip culture platforms

Abstract

We present the rapid-prototyping of type I collagen micropatterns on poly-dimethylsiloxane substrates for the biomimetic confinement of cells using the combination of a surface oxidation treatment and 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane silanisation followed by glutaraldehyde crosslinking. The aim of surface treatment is to stabilise microcontact printing transfer of this natural extracellular matrix protein that usually wears out easily from poly-dimethylsiloxane, which is not suitable for biomimetic cell culture platforms and lab-on-chip applications. A low-cost CD-DVD laser was used to etch biomimetic micropatterns into acrylic sheets that were in turn replicated to poly-dimethylsiloxane slabs with the desired features. These stamps were finally inked with type I collagen for microcontact printing transfer on the culture substrates in a simple manner. Human hepatoma cells (HepG2) and rat primary hepatocytes, which do not adhere to bare poly-dimethylsiloxane, were successfully seeded and showed optimal adhesion and survival on simple protein micropatterns with a hepatic cord geometry in order to validate our technique. HepG2 cells also proliferated on the stamps. Soft and stiff poly-dimethylsiloxane layers were also tested to demonstrate that our cost-effective process is compatible with biomimetic organ-on-chip technology integrating tunable stiffness with a potential application to drug testing probes development where such cells are commonly used.

Comparing human and mouse salivary glands: A practice guide for salivary researchers

“…By resembling tissue–tissue interfaces, physicochemical microenvironments, and vascular irrigation of the body, these devices produce levels of tissue and organ functionality not possible with conventional 2D or 3D culture systems while also enabling high‐resolution, real‐time imaging, and in vitro analysis of biochemical, genetic, and metabolic activities of living cells in a functional tissue and organ context (Mosier, Peters, Larsen, & Cady, ). Given that organ‐on‐chip methods have already proven useful for the study of multiple organ systems (Alexander, Eggert, & Wiest, ; Caballero et al., ; Esch, Bahinski, & Huh, ; Escutia‐Guadarrama et al., ; Kodzius, Schulze, Gao, & Schneider, ; Mosig, ; Van der Helm, van der Meer, Eijkel, van den Berg, & Segerink, ), there is little doubt that this technology shows great potential to advance the study of SG development, physiology, and disease etiology. Moreover, it could be a game changer in the context of drug discovery and development by making possible nearly limitless trials, thereby leading to cheaper and better targeted studies of molecular mechanisms of action, prioritization of lead candidates, toxicity testing, and biomarker identification (Liu, Gill, & Shery Huang, ).…”

Progress on the Use of Commercial Digital Optical Disc Units for Low-Power Laser Micromachining in Biomedical Applications

“…It was indeed much more effective when the stamps were obtained from a PMMA micromold with a 50 µm depth or with Loctite. The validation example that was successfully made in our group was that of collagen type I inking of PDMS stamps for regionalized cell growth and alignment [ 24 ]. Following the process previously described, HepG2 cells were successfully patterned onto soft and stiff PDMS surfaces as well as glass coverslips ( Figure 8 ).…”

Progress on the Use of Commercial Digital Optical Disc Units for Low-Power Laser Micromachining in Biomedical Applications

“…It was indeed much more effective when the stamps were obtained from a PMMA micromold with a 50 µ m depth or with Loctite. The validation example that was successfully made in our group was that of collagen type I inking of PDMS stamps for regionalized cell growth and alignment [24]. Following the process previously described, HepG2 cells were successfully patterned onto soft and stiff PDMS surfaces as well as glass coverslips ( figure 8).…”