Sputum from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients inhibits T cell migration in a microfluidic device

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease characterized by narrowed airways, resulting in serious breathing difficulty. Previous studies have demonstrated that inflammatory infiltration of leukocytes in the airway is associated with the pathogenesis of COPD. In the present study, we employed a microfluidic approach to assess the effect of COPD sputum on activated human peripheral blood T cell migration and chemotaxis under well‐controlled gradient conditions. Our results showed considerable basal migration of T cells derived from peripheral blood of COPD patients and healthy controls in the medium control groups. By contrast, the migration of T cells from COPD patients and healthy controls was significantly inhibited in the presence of a gradient of sputum supernatant from COPD patients. Furthermore, chemotaxis of T cells from COPD patients or healthy subjects toward an SDF‐1α gradient was clearly inhibited by sputum samples from the COPD patients. The inhibition effect revealed by the microfluidic cell migration experiments provides new information about the complex involvement of T cell trafficking in COPD.

TILRR Promotes Migration of Immune Cells Through Induction of Soluble Inflammatory Mediators

“…This device contains eight independent units, each one has its own two chemical inlets, one waste inlet, and one cell loading port, which allows eight independent experiments performed simultaneously. The device was fabricated by using previously described standard photolithography and soft lithography procedures ( Wu et al, 2018 ; Ren et al, 2019 , 2020 ). Briefly, the device pattern was designed by AUTOCAD and printed onto a transparent film at 24,000 dpi resolution (Fineline Imaging) served as the photomask for later photolithography.…”

T Cells Chemotaxis Migration Studies with a Multi-Channel Microfluidic Device

“…The activated ahPBTs were subsequently expanded in a complete RPMI supplemented with 12.5 ng/mL of IL-2 for at least 3 days prior to use in migration experiments [ 14 , 18 , 19 ].…”

Recent advances in microfluidics-based cell migration research

“…93 Simpler microfluidic devices that don't need the use of external pumps have been developed to mimic the migration of neutrophils and T cells in the respiratory system and partially unravel their roles in the pathogenies and development of respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma. [94][95][96] However, these simplified models are incapable of recapitulating the 3D cellular microenvironment that are required in one of the important types of migration studies, the leukocyte TEM. It is the process of migrating across blood-endothelial cell barrier to reach the inflammatory site, which is highly dependent on mechanical and biochemical gradients.…”