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Dong R, Liu S, Li Y, Gao F, Gao K, Chen C, Qian Z, Li W, Yang Y. Revisiting hemodynamics and blood oxygenation in a microfluidic microvasculature replica. Microvasc Res 2024; 152:104640. [PMID: 38065353 DOI: 10.1016/j.mvr.2023.104640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
The complexity of microvascular circulation has led to the development of advanced imaging techniques and biomimetic models. This study developed a multifaceted microfluidic-based microdevice as an in vitro model of microvasculature to replicate important geometric and functional features of in vivo perfusion in mice. The microfluidic device consisted of a microchannel for blood perfusion, mirroring the natural hierarchical branching vascular structures found in mice. Additionally, the device incorporated a steady gradient of oxygen (O2) which diffused through the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, allowing for dynamic blood oxygenation. The assembled multi-layered microdevice was accompanied by a dual-modal imaging system that combined laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) and intrinsic signal optical imaging (ISOI) to visualize full-field blood flow distributions and blood O2 profiles. By closely reproducing in vivo blood perfusion and oxygenation conditions, this microvasculature model, in conjunction with numerical simulation results, can provide quantitative information on physiologically relevant hemodynamics and key O2 transport parameters that are not directly measurable in traditional animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Dong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Sijia Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Yuewu Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Fan Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Keqiang Gao
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Chunxiao Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Zhiyu Qian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Weitao Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Yamin Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
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2
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Williams DC, Wood DK. High-throughput quantification of red blood cell deformability and oxygen saturation to probe mechanisms of sickle cell disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2313755120. [PMID: 37983504 PMCID: PMC10691249 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313755120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex, systemic pathology of sickle cell disease is driven by multiple mechanisms including red blood cells (RBCs) stiffened by polymerized fibers of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin. A critical step toward understanding the pathologic role of polymer-containing RBCs is quantifying the biophysical changes in these cells in physiologically relevant oxygen environments. We have developed a microfluidic platform capable of simultaneously measuring single RBC deformability and oxygen saturation under controlled oxygen and shear stress. We found that RBCs with detectable amounts of polymer have decreased oxygen affinity and decreased deformability. Surprisingly, the deformability of the polymer-containing cells is oxygen-independent, while the fraction of these cells increases as oxygen decreases. We also find that some fraction of these cells is present at most physiologic oxygen tensions, suggesting a role for these cells in the systemic pathologies. Additionally, the ability to measure these pathological cells should provide clearer targets for evaluating therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon C. Williams
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
| | - David K. Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455
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3
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Hasannejad F, Montazeri L, Mano JF, Bonakdar S, Fazilat A. Regulation of cell fate by cell imprinting approach in vitro. BIOIMPACTS : BI 2023; 14:29945. [PMID: 38938752 PMCID: PMC11199935 DOI: 10.34172/bi.2023.29945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Cell culture-based technologies are widely utilized in various domains such as drug evaluation, toxicity assessment, vaccine and biopharmaceutical development, reproductive technology, and regenerative medicine. It has been demonstrated that pre-adsorption of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including collagen, laminin and fibronectin provide more degrees of support for cell adhesion. The purpose of cell imprinting is to imitate the natural topography of cell membranes by gels or polymers to create a reliable environment for the regulation of cell function. The results of recent studies show that cell imprinting is a tool to guide the behavior of cultured cells by controlling their adhesive interactions with surfaces. Therefore, in this review we aim to compare different cell cultures with the imprinting method and discuss different cell imprinting applications in regenerative medicine, personalized medicine, disease modeling, and cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farkhonde Hasannejad
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Science, Semnan, Iran
- Genetic Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Montazeri
- Department of Cell Engineering, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - João F Mano
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Shahin Bonakdar
- National Cell Bank Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Fazilat
- Genetic Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
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4
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Hansen S, Wood DK. Simultaneous quantification of blood rheology and oxygen saturation to evaluate affinity-modifying therapies in sickle cell disease. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:4141-4150. [PMID: 36134535 PMCID: PMC10165883 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00623e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Sickle cell blood demonstrates oxygen-dependent flow behavior as a result of HbS polymerization during hypoxia, and these rheological changes provide a biophysical metric that can be used to quantify the pathological behavior of the blood. Relating these rheological changes directly to hemoglobin oxygen saturation would improve our understanding of SCD pathogenesis and the potential effects of therapeutic drugs. Towards this end, we have developed a microfluidic platform capable of spectrophotometric quantification of Hb-O2 saturation and simultaneous evaluation of the accompanying rheological changes in SCD blood flow. We demonstrated the ability to measure changes in Hb-O2 affinity and a restoration of oxygen-independent blood flow behavior after incubation with voxelotor, an oxygen affinity modifying drug approved for use in SCD. We also identified regimes in Hb-O2 saturation where the effects of HbS polymerization begin to take effect in contributing to pathological flow behavior, independent of voxelotor treatment. In contrast, incubation with voxelotor recovered oxygen-dependent blood flow over a range of PO2, providing a framework for understanding voxelotor's therapeutic effect in lowering the PO2 at which the requisite Hb-O2 saturation is reached to observe pathological blood flow. These results help explain the mechanistic effects of voxelotor and show the potential of this platform to identify affinity-modifying compounds and evaluate their therapeutic effect on blood flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Hansen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55409, USA.
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55409, USA.
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5
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Palomarez A, Jha M, Medina Romero X, Horton RE. Cardiovascular consequences of sickle cell disease. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2022; 3:031302. [PMID: 38505276 PMCID: PMC10903381 DOI: 10.1063/5.0094650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder caused by a single point mutation within the beta globin gene. As a result of this mutation, hemoglobin polymerizes under low oxygen conditions causing red blood cells to deform, become more adhesive, and increase in rigidity, which affects blood flow dynamics. This process leads to enhanced red blood cell interactions with the endothelium and contributes to vaso-occlusion formation. Although traditionally defined as a red blood cell disorder, individuals with SCD are affected by numerous clinical consequences including stroke, painful crisis episodes, bone infarctions, and several organ-specific complications. Elevated cardiac output, endothelium activation along with the sickling process, and the vaso-occlusion events pose strains on the cardiovascular system. We will present a review of the cardiovascular consequences of sickle cell disease and show connections with the vasculopathy related to SCD. We will also highlight biophysical properties and engineering tools that have been used to characterize the disease. Finally, we will discuss therapies for SCD and potential implications on SCD cardiomyopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Palomarez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
| | - Manisha Jha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
| | - Ximena Medina Romero
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
| | - Renita E. Horton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
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6
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Man Y, An R, Monchamp K, Sekyonda Z, Kucukal E, Federici C, Wulftange WJ, Goreke U, Bode A, Sheehan VA, Gurkan UA. OcclusionChip: A functional microcapillary occlusion assay complementary to ektacytometry for detection of small-fraction red blood cells with abnormal deformability. Front Physiol 2022; 13:954106. [PMID: 36091387 PMCID: PMC9452903 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.954106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Red blood cell (RBC) deformability is a valuable hemorheological biomarker that can be used to assess the clinical status and response to therapy of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). RBC deformability has been measured by ektacytometry for decades, which uses shear or osmolar stress. However, ektacytometry is a population based measurement that does not detect small-fractions of abnormal RBCs. A single cell-based, functional RBC deformability assay would complement ektacytometry and provide additional information. Here, we tested the relative merits of the OcclusionChip, which measures RBC deformability by microcapillary occlusion, and ektacytometry. We tested samples containing glutaraldehyde-stiffened RBCs for up to 1% volume fraction; ektacytometry detected no significant change in Elongation Index (EI), while the OcclusionChip showed significant differences in Occlusion Index (OI). OcclusionChip detected a significant increase in OI in RBCs from an individual with sickle cell trait (SCT) and from a subject with SCD who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), as the sample was taken from normoxic (pO2:159 mmHg) to physiologic hypoxic (pO2:45 mmHg) conditions. Oxygen gradient ektacytometry detected no difference in EI for SCT or HSCT. These results suggest that the single cell-based OcclusionChip enables detection of sickle hemoglobin (HbS)-related RBC abnormalities in SCT and SCD, particularly when the HbS level is low. We conclude that the OcclusionChip is complementary to the population based ektacytometry assays, and providing additional sensitivity and capacity to detect modest abnormalities in red cell function or small populations of abnormal red cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuncheng Man
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Ran An
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Karamoja Monchamp
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Zoe Sekyonda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Erdem Kucukal
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Chiara Federici
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - William J. Wulftange
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Utku Goreke
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Allison Bode
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Vivien A. Sheehan
- Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Umut A. Gurkan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- *Correspondence: Umut A. Gurkan,
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7
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Cordovil K, Crivelli M, Calixto Lima L, S. Barbosa F, Fleury M. Predictive Equations Overestimated the Rest Energy Expenditure by Indirect Calorimetry in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease. THE NORTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF FOOD AND NUTRITION RESEARCH 2022; 6:94-106. [DOI: 10.51745/najfnr.6.14.94-106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Background: Traditionally, hypermetabolism is described in sickle cell disease (SCD). Despite this, few studies have compared rest energy expenditure (REE) with estimated by predictive equations (EEE) in the assessment of adults with SCD. Aims: To compare REE values determined by indirect calorimetry (IC) with that EEE in adults with SCD. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed with 46 individuals over 34 years old in the treatment from two reference centers for SCD located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and IC were used to assess BC and REE, respectively. Blood levels were measured to assess hemolytic and protein markers. Pearson’s correlation test was used in the univariate correlation. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and the Bland-Altman analysis were used in the comparison between EEE and IC. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Most participants were from the female sex, Hb SS genotype (80.4%) and with black color (52.2%). The mean age was 50 years old. Weight (r= 0.469; p=0,001), LM (r = 0.631; p=0.000), BMC (r = 0.508; p=0.000) and CRP(r=0.319; p = 0.002) correlated positively with the REE. There was no linear correlation between makers of hemolysis with REE. The REE was overestimated in the EEE when compared to IC (p<0.001). Conclusions: The prediction equations developed for healthy populations are not accurate enough to determine the energy requirements and more studies are needed to better understand how REE role in middle-aged and elderly adults with SCD.
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8
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Chen Y, Guo K, Jiang L, Zhu S, Ni Z, Xiang N. Microfluidic deformability cytometry: A review. Talanta 2022; 251:123815. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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9
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Azul M, Vital EF, Lam WA, Wood DK, Beckman JD. Microfluidic methods to advance mechanistic understanding and translational research in sickle cell disease. Transl Res 2022; 246:1-14. [PMID: 35354090 PMCID: PMC9218997 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2022.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a single point mutation in the β-globin gene of hemoglobin, which produces an altered sickle hemoglobin (HbS). The ability of HbS to polymerize under deoxygenated conditions gives rise to chronic hemolysis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and vaso-occlusion. Herein, we review recent findings using microfluidic technologies that have elucidated mechanisms of oxygen-dependent and -independent induction of HbS polymerization and how these mechanisms elicit the biophysical and inflammatory consequences in SCD pathophysiology. We also discuss how validation and use of microfluidics in SCD provides the opportunity to advance development of numerous therapeutic strategies, including curative gene therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Azul
- Department of Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Eudorah F Vital
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Joan D Beckman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Matthews K, Lamoureux ES, Myrand-Lapierre ME, Duffy SP, Ma H. Technologies for measuring red blood cell deformability. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1254-1274. [PMID: 35266475 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc01058a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Human red blood cells (RBCs) are approximately 8 μm in diameter, but must repeatedly deform through capillaries as small as 2 μm in order to deliver oxygen to all parts of the body. The loss of this capability is associated with the pathology of many diseases, and is therefore a potential biomarker for disease status and treatment efficacy. Measuring RBC deformability is a difficult problem because of the minute forces (∼pN) that must be exerted on these cells, as well as the requirements for throughput and multiplexing. The development of technologies for measuring RBC deformability date back to the 1960s with the development of micropipette aspiration, ektacytometry, and the cell transit analyzer. In the past 10 years, significant progress has been made using microfluidics by leveraging the ability to precisely control fluid flow through microstructures at the size scale of individual RBCs. These technologies have now surpassed traditional methods in terms of sensitivity, throughput, consistency, and ease of use. As a result, these efforts are beginning to move beyond feasibility studies and into applications to enable biomedical discoveries. In this review, we provide an overview of both traditional and microfluidic techniques for measuring RBC deformability. We discuss the capabilities of each technique and compare their sensitivity, throughput, and robustness in measuring bulk and single-cell RBC deformability. Finally, we discuss how these tools could be used to measure changes in RBC deformability in the context of various applications including pathologies caused by malaria and hemoglobinopathies, as well as degradation during storage in blood bags prior to blood transfusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerryn Matthews
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erik S Lamoureux
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Marie-Eve Myrand-Lapierre
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Simon P Duffy
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hongshen Ma
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Urologic Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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11
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Cordovil K, Crivelli M, Brito FDSB, Fleury M. Body composition, energy expenditure, and markers of hemolysis in adults with sickle cell disease. THE NORTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF FOOD AND NUTRITION RESEARCH 2022; 6:55-65. [DOI: 10.51745/najfnr.6.13.55-65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Background: Historically, malnutrition is described in individuals with SCD. However, more recent studies have shown a change in the profile of the nutritional status and distribution of body composition of SCD patients, mainly adult individuals. Aims: To assess the body composition (BC), resting energy expenditure (REE), and the biomarkers of hemolysis in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed with 64 individuals over 39 years old in the treatment from two reference centers for SCD located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and indirect calorimetry were used to assess BC and REE, respectively. Blood levels of hemoglobin, reticulocytes, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), leukocytes, platelets, total and direct bilirubin, total protein, and albumin were measured to assess the hemolysis and protein status. The descriptive and inferential analysis was composed of the different methods (one-way ANOVA with the multiple comparison test of Tukey, Student t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient). Were considered statistically significant when the p-values were ≤ 0.05. Results: Most participants with SCD were female sex, colored (brown/black), and mean age of 51.2 years old. The obesity prevalence was 70.7% according to the body fat (BF%), with a major mean among women (p < 0.0001). Men had a higher mean of lean mass (LM) (p=0.0005) and fat-free mass (FFM) (p=0.0007). There was no difference for REE in comparing the genotypes (p= 0.53), and genders (p=0.075). The hemolysis markers (LDH, reticulocytes, and TB) correlated inversely with BMI (p=0.013), FM (p=0.022), and FFM (p=0.034). Conclusions: The important change observed in body composition in people with sickle cell disease was characterized by a high percentage of fat body and a decrease in lean mass. The hemolysis markers LDH, reticulocytes, and BT correlated inversely with BMI, FM, and FFM indicating that high levels of hemolysis may affect nutritional status, without influencing the REE.
Keywords: sickle cell disease, body composition, fat mass, fat-free mass, energy expenditure, hemolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Cordovil
- Postgraduate Program in Medical Science, Medical Science College, State University of Rio de Janeiro. Professor Manoel de Abreu Avenue, 444, second floor, Vila Isabel. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Zip Code 20550-170
| | - Marise Crivelli
- Postgraduate Program in Nutrition, Food and Health, Nutrition Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro. São Francisco Xavier Street, 900, João Lyra Filho Pavilion, Twelfth floor, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Zip Code 20550-000
| | - Flávia dos Santos Barbosa Brito
- Department Social Nutrition, Nutrition Institute, State University of Rio de Janeiro. São Francisco Xavier Street, 900, João Lyra Filho Pavilion, Twelfth floor - Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Zip Code 20550-000
| | - Marcos Fleury
- Laboratory Clinical Analysis, Pharmacy College, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Carlos Chagas Filho Avenue, Block K, Room 50, Ilha do Fundão, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Zip Code 21941-590
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12
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Zhang X, Chan T, Carbonella J, Gong X, Ahmed N, Liu C, Demandel I, Zhang J, Pashankar F, Mak M. A microfluidic-informatics assay for quantitative physical occlusion measurement in sickle cell disease. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1126-1136. [PMID: 35174373 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00043a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition that causes abnormalities in hemoglobin mechanics. Those affected are at high risk of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), which can induce life-threatening symptoms. The development of measurements related to vaso-occlusion facilitates the diagnosis of the patient's disease state. To complement existing readouts, we design a microfluidic-informatics analytical system with varied confined geometries for the quantification of sickle cell disease occlusion. We detect an increase in physical occlusion events in the most severe hemoglobin SS group. We use bioinformatics and modeling to quantify the in vitro disease severity score (DSS) of individual patients. We also show the potential effect of hydration, clinically recommended for crisis management, on reducing the disease severity of high-risk patients. Overall, we demonstrate the device as an easy-to-use assay for quick occlusion information extraction with a simple setup and minimal additional instruments. We show the device can provide physical readouts distinct from clinical data. We also show the device sensitivity in separate samples from patients with different disease severity. Finally, we demonstrate the system as a potential platform for testing the effectiveness of therapeutic strategies (e.g. hydration) on reducing sickle cell disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingjian Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Trevor Chan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Judith Carbonella
- Section of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Xiangyu Gong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Noureen Ahmed
- Section of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Israel Demandel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Junqi Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
| | - Farzana Pashankar
- Section of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Michael Mak
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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13
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Microfluidics Approach to the Mechanical Properties of Red Blood Cell Membrane and Their Effect on Blood Rheology. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12020217. [PMID: 35207138 PMCID: PMC8878405 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12020217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In this article, we describe the general features of red blood cell membranes and their effect on blood flow and blood rheology. We first present a basic description of membranes and move forward to red blood cell membranes’ characteristics and modeling. We later review the specific properties of red blood cells, presenting recent numerical and experimental microfluidics studies that elucidate the effect of the elastic properties of the red blood cell membrane on blood flow and hemorheology. Finally, we describe specific hemorheological pathologies directly related to the mechanical properties of red blood cells and their effect on microcirculation, reviewing microfluidic applications for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
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14
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Praljak N, Iram S, Goreke U, Singh G, Hill A, Gurkan UA, Hinczewski M. Integrating deep learning with microfluidics for biophysical classification of sickle red blood cells adhered to laminin. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008946. [PMID: 34843453 PMCID: PMC8659663 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder affecting a sizeable global demographic, manifests in sickle red blood cells (sRBCs) with altered shape and biomechanics. sRBCs show heightened adhesive interactions with inflamed endothelium, triggering painful vascular occlusion events. Numerous studies employ microfluidic-assay-based monitoring tools to quantify characteristics of adhered sRBCs from high resolution channel images. The current image analysis workflow relies on detailed morphological characterization and cell counting by a specially trained worker. This is time and labor intensive, and prone to user bias artifacts. Here we establish a morphology based classification scheme to identify two naturally arising sRBC subpopulations-deformable and non-deformable sRBCs-utilizing novel visual markers that link to underlying cell biomechanical properties and hold promise for clinically relevant insights. We then set up a standardized, reproducible, and fully automated image analysis workflow designed to carry out this classification. This relies on a two part deep neural network architecture that works in tandem for segmentation of channel images and classification of adhered cells into subtypes. Network training utilized an extensive data set of images generated by the SCD BioChip, a microfluidic assay which injects clinical whole blood samples into protein-functionalized microchannels, mimicking physiological conditions in the microvasculature. Here we carried out the assay with the sub-endothelial protein laminin. The machine learning approach segmented the resulting channel images with 99.1±0.3% mean IoU on the validation set across 5 k-folds, classified detected sRBCs with 96.0±0.3% mean accuracy on the validation set across 5 k-folds, and matched trained personnel in overall characterization of whole channel images with R2 = 0.992, 0.987 and 0.834 for total, deformable and non-deformable sRBC counts respectively. Average analysis time per channel image was also improved by two orders of magnitude (∼ 2 minutes vs ∼ 2-3 hours) over manual characterization. Finally, the network results show an order of magnitude less variance in counts on repeat trials than humans. This kind of standardization is a prerequisite for the viability of any diagnostic technology, making our system suitable for affordable and high throughput disease monitoring.
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MESH Headings
- Anemia, Sickle Cell/blood
- Anemia, Sickle Cell/diagnostic imaging
- Biophysical Phenomena
- Computational Biology
- Deep Learning
- Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/statistics & numerical data
- Erythrocyte Deformability/physiology
- Erythrocytes, Abnormal/classification
- Erythrocytes, Abnormal/pathology
- Erythrocytes, Abnormal/physiology
- Hemoglobin, Sickle/chemistry
- Hemoglobin, Sickle/metabolism
- High-Throughput Screening Assays/statistics & numerical data
- Humans
- Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/statistics & numerical data
- In Vitro Techniques
- Lab-On-A-Chip Devices/statistics & numerical data
- Laminin/metabolism
- Microfluidics/statistics & numerical data
- Neural Networks, Computer
- Protein Multimerization
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Affiliation(s)
- Niksa Praljak
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Physics, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Shamreen Iram
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Utku Goreke
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Gundeep Singh
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Ailis Hill
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Umut A. Gurkan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Michael Hinczewski
- Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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15
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Inbody SC, Sinquefield BE, Lewis JP, Horton RE. Biomimetic microsystems for cardiovascular studies. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2021; 320:C850-C872. [PMID: 33760660 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00026.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Traditional tissue culture platforms have been around for several decades and have enabled key findings in the cardiovascular field. However, these platforms failed to recreate the mechanical and dynamic features found within the body. Organs-on-chips (OOCs) are cellularized microfluidic-based devices that can mimic the basic structure, function, and responses of organs. These systems have been successfully utilized in disease, development, and drug studies. OOCs are designed to recapitulate the mechanical, electrical, chemical, and structural features of the in vivo microenvironment. Here, we review cardiovascular-themed OOC studies, design considerations, and techniques used to generate these cellularized devices. Furthermore, we will highlight the advantages of OOC models over traditional cell culture vessels, discuss implementation challenges, and provide perspectives on the state of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby C Inbody
- Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering Department, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Bridgett E Sinquefield
- Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering Department, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Joshua P Lewis
- Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering Department, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Renita E Horton
- Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Biomedical Engineering Department, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
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16
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Aich A, Lamarre Y, Sacomani DP, Kashima S, Covas DT, de la Torre LG. Microfluidics in Sickle Cell Disease Research: State of the Art and a Perspective Beyond the Flow Problem. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 7:558982. [PMID: 33763448 PMCID: PMC7982466 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.558982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the monogenic hemoglobinopathy where mutated sickle hemoglobin molecules polymerize to form long fibers under deoxygenated state and deform red blood cells (RBCs) into predominantly sickle form. Sickled RBCs stick to the vascular bed and obstruct blood flow in extreme conditions, leading to acute painful vaso-occlusion crises (VOCs) – the leading cause of mortality in SCD. Being a blood disorder of deformed RBCs, SCD manifests a wide-range of organ-specific clinical complications of life (in addition to chronic pain) such as stroke, acute chest syndrome (ACS) and pulmonary hypertension in the lung, nephropathy, auto-splenectomy, and splenomegaly, hand-foot syndrome, leg ulcer, stress erythropoiesis, osteonecrosis and osteoporosis. The physiological inception for VOC was initially thought to be only a fluid flow problem in microvascular space originated from increased viscosity due to aggregates of sickled RBCs; however, over the last three decades, multiple molecular and cellular mechanisms have been identified that aid the VOC in vivo. Activation of adhesion molecules in vascular endothelium and on RBC membranes, activated neutrophils and platelets, increased viscosity of the blood, and fluid physics driving sickled and deformed RBCs to the vascular wall (known as margination of flow) – all of these come together to orchestrate VOC. Microfluidic technology in sickle research was primarily adopted to benefit from mimicking the microvascular network to observe RBC flow under low oxygen conditions as models of VOC. However, over the last decade, microfluidics has evolved as a valuable tool to extract biophysical characteristics of sickle red cells, measure deformability of sickle red cells under simulated oxygen gradient and shear, drug testing, in vitro models of intercellular interaction on endothelialized or adhesion molecule-functionalized channels to understand adhesion in sickle microenvironment, characterizing biomechanics and microrheology, biomarker identification, and last but not least, for developing point-of-care diagnostic technologies for low resource setting. Several of these platforms have already demonstrated true potential to be translated from bench to bedside. Emerging microfluidics-based technologies for studying heterotypic cell–cell interactions, organ-on-chip application and drug dosage screening can be employed to sickle research field due to their wide-ranging advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anupam Aich
- Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, OR, United States
| | - Yann Lamarre
- Center for Cell-based Therapy, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Daniel Pereira Sacomani
- Department of Material and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Simone Kashima
- Center for Cell-based Therapy, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Dimas Tadeu Covas
- Center for Cell-based Therapy, Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Lucimara Gaziola de la Torre
- Department of Material and Bioprocess Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
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17
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Yasara N, Premawardhena A, Mettananda S. A comprehensive review of hydroxyurea for β-haemoglobinopathies: the role revisited during COVID-19 pandemic. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021; 16:114. [PMID: 33648529 PMCID: PMC7919989 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-021-01757-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hydroxyurea is one of the earliest drugs that showed promise in the management of haemoglobinopathies that include β-thalassaemia and sickle cell disease. Despite this, many aspects of hydroxyurea are either unknown or understudied; specifically, its usefulness in β-thalassaemia major and haemoglobin E β-thalassaemia is unclear. However, during COVID-19 pandemic, it has become a valuable adjunct to transfusion therapy in patients with β-haemoglobinopathies. In this review, we aim to explore the available in vitro and in vivo mechanistic data and the clinical utility of hydroxyurea in β-haemoglobinopathies with a special emphasis on its usefulness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Main body Hydroxyurea is an S-phase-specific drug that reversibly inhibits ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase enzyme which catalyses an essential step in the DNA biosynthesis. In human erythroid cells, it induces the expression of γ-globin, a fetal globin gene that is suppressed after birth. Through several molecular pathways described in this review, hydroxyurea exerts many favourable effects on the haemoglobin content, red blood cell indices, ineffective erythropoiesis, and blood rheology in patients with β-haemoglobinopathies. Currently, it is recommended for sickle cell disease and non-transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia. A number of clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate its usefulness in transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was widely used as an adjunct to transfusion therapy due to limitations in the availability of blood and logistical disturbances. Thus, it has become clear that hydroxyurea could play a remarkable role in reducing transfusion requirements of patients with haemoglobinopathies, especially when donor blood is a limited resource. Conclusion Hydroxyurea is a well-tolerated oral drug which has been in use for many decades. Through its actions of reversible inhibition of ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase enzyme and fetal haemoglobin induction, it exerts many favourable effects on patients with β-haemoglobinopathies. It is currently approved for the treatment of sickle cell disease and non-transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia. Also, there are various observations to suggest that hydroxyurea is an important adjunct in the treatment of transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia which should be confirmed by randomised clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirmani Yasara
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Thalagolla Road, Ragama, 11010, Sri Lanka
| | - Anuja Premawardhena
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka.,Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka
| | - Sachith Mettananda
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Thalagolla Road, Ragama, 11010, Sri Lanka. .,Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka.
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18
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Man Y, Kucukal E, An R, Bode A, Little JA, Gurkan UA. Standardized microfluidic assessment of red blood cell-mediated microcapillary occlusion: Association with clinical phenotype and hydroxyurea responsiveness in sickle cell disease. Microcirculation 2021; 28:e12662. [PMID: 33025653 DOI: 10.1111/micc.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We present a standardized in vitro microfluidic assay and Occlusion Index (OI) for the assessment of red blood cell (RBC)-mediated microcapillary occlusion and its clinical associations in sickle cell disease (SCD). METHODS Red blood cell mediated microcapillary occlusion represented by OI and its clinical associations were assessed for seven subjects with hemoglobin-SC disease (HbSC), 18 subjects with homozygous SCD (HbSS), and five control individuals (HbAA). RESULTS We identified two sub-populations with HbSS based on the OI distribution. HbSS subjects with relatively higher OIs had significantly lower hemoglobin levels, lower fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels, and lower mean corpuscular volume (MCV), but significantly higher serum lactate dehydrogenase levels and absolute reticulocyte counts, compared to subjects with HbSS and lower OIs. HbSS subjects who had relatively higher OIs were more likely to have had a concomitant diagnosis of intrapulmonary shunting (IPS). Further, lower OI associated with hydroxyurea (HU) responsiveness in subjects with HbSS, as evidenced by significantly elevated HbF levels and MCV. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that RBC-mediated microcapillary occlusion and OI associated with subject clinical phenotype and HU responsiveness in SCD. The presented standardized microfluidic assay may be useful for evaluating clinical phenotype and assessing therapeutic outcomes in SCD, including emerging targeted and curative treatments that aim to improve RBC deformability and microcirculatory health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuncheng Man
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Erdem Kucukal
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ran An
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Allison Bode
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jane A Little
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, UNC Blood Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Umut A Gurkan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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19
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Schreier DA, Hacker TA, Tabima DM, Platt MO, Chesler NC. Effects of Red Blood Cell Sickling on Right Ventricular Afterload in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL MECHANICS 2021; 61:229-235. [PMID: 33776073 PMCID: PMC7992815 DOI: 10.1007/s11340-020-00669-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hemolysis in sickle cell disease (SCD) releases cell free hemoglobin, which scavenges nitric oxide (NO), leading to pulmonary vascular vasoconstriction, increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and the development of PH. However, PVR is only one component of right ventricular (RV) afterload. Whether sickled red blood cells increase the total RV afterload, including compliance and wave reflections, is unclear. OBJECTIVE Patients with SCD and pulmonary hypertension (PH) have a significantly increased risk of sudden death compared to patients with SCD alone. Sickled red blood cells (RBCs) are fragile and lyse easily. Here, we sought to determine the acute effects of SCD RBCs and increased cell free hemoglobin on RV afterload. METHODS Main pulmonary artery pressures and flows were measured in C57BL6 mice before and after exchanges of whole blood (~200 uL, Hct=45%) with an equal volume of SCD RBCs in plasma (Hct=45%) or cell free hemoglobin (Hb+) in solution. After transfusions, animals were additionally stressed with acute hypoxia (AH; 10% O2). RESULTS SCD RBCs increased PVR only compared to control RBCs; cell free hemoglobin increased PVR and wave reflections. These increases in RV afterload increased further with AH. CONCLUSIONS The release of cell free hemoglobin from fragile SCD RBCs in vivo increases the total RV afterload and may impair RV function more than the SCD RBCs themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Schreier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Wisconsin, 2146 ECB, 1550 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI 53706
| | - T A Hacker
- Department of Medicine 1685 Highland Avenue, 5158 Medical Foundation Centennial Building, Madison, WI 53705-2281
| | - D M Tabima
- Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Wisconsin, 2146 ECB, 1550 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI 53706
| | - M O Platt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Georgia Tech, Engineered Biosystems Building, 950 Atlantic Drive, Suite 3015, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - N C Chesler
- Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Wisconsin, 2146 ECB, 1550 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI 53706
- Department of Medicine 1685 Highland Avenue, 5158 Medical Foundation Centennial Building, Madison, WI 53705-2281
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20
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Bazzi MS, Valdez JM, Barocas VH, Wood DK. An Experimental-Computational Approach to Quantify Blood Rheology in Sickle Cell Disease. Biophys J 2020; 119:2307-2315. [PMID: 33096079 PMCID: PMC7732763 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In sickle cell disease, aberrant blood flow due to oxygen-dependent changes in red cell biomechanics is a key driver of pathology. Most studies to date have focused on the potential role of altered red cell deformability and blood rheology in precipitating vaso-occlusive crises. Numerous studies, however, have shown that sickle blood flow is affected even at high oxygen tensions, suggesting a potentially systemic role for altered blood flow in driving pathologies, including endothelial dysfunction, ischemia, and stroke. In this study, we applied a combined experimental-computation approach that leveraged an experimental platform that quantifies sickle blood velocity fields under a range of oxygen tensions and shear rates. We computationally fitted a continuum model to our experimental data to generate physics-based parameters that capture patient-specific rheological alterations. Our results suggest that sickle blood flow is altered systemically, from the arterial to the venous circulation. We also demonstrated the application of this approach as a tool to design patient-specific transfusion regimens. Finally, we demonstrated that patient-specific rheological parameters can be combined with patient-derived vascular models to identify patients who are at higher risk for cerebrovascular complications such as aneurysm and stroke. Overall, this study highlights that sickle blood flow is altered systemically, which can drive numerous pathologies, and this study demonstrates the potential utility of an experimentally parameterized continuum model as a predictive tool for patient-specific care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa S Bazzi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - José M Valdez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Victor H Barocas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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21
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Kucukal E, Man Y, Hill A, Liu S, Bode A, An R, Kadambi J, Little JA, Gurkan UA. Whole blood viscosity and red blood cell adhesion: Potential biomarkers for targeted and curative therapies in sickle cell disease. Am J Hematol 2020; 95:1246-1256. [PMID: 32656816 PMCID: PMC7689825 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.25933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a recessive genetic blood disorder exhibiting abnormal blood rheology. Polymerization of sickle hemoglobin, due to a point mutation in the β‐globin gene of hemoglobin, results in aberrantly adhesive and stiff red blood cells (RBCs). Hemolysis, abnormal RBC adhesion, and abnormal blood rheology together impair endothelial health in people with SCD, which leads to cumulative systemic complications. Here, we describe a microfluidic assay combined with a micro particle image velocimetry technique for the integrated in vitro assessment of whole blood viscosity (WBV) and RBC adhesion. We examined WBV and RBC adhesion to laminin (LN) in microscale flow in whole blood samples from 53 individuals with no hemoglobinopathies (HbAA, N = 10), hemoglobin SC disease (HbSC, N = 14), or homozygous SCD (HbSS, N = 29) with mean WBV of 4.50 cP, 4.08 cP, and 3.73 cP, respectively. We found that WBV correlated with RBC count and hematocrit in subjects with HbSC or HbSS. There was a significant inverse association between WBV and RBC adhesion under both normoxic and physiologically hypoxic (SpO2 of 83%) tests, in which lower WBV associated with higher RBC adhesion to LN in subjects with HbSS. Low WBV has been found by others to associate with endothelial activation. Altered WBV and abnormal RBC adhesion may synergistically contribute to the endothelial damage and cumulative pathophysiology of SCD. These findings suggest that WBV and RBC adhesion may serve as clinically relevant biomarkers and endpoints in assessing emerging targeted and curative therapies in SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erdem Kucukal
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Yuncheng Man
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Ailis Hill
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Shichen Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Allison Bode
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Ran An
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Jaikrishnan Kadambi
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
| | - Jane A. Little
- Division of Hematology and Blood Research Center, Department of Medicine University of North Carolina Chapel Hill North Carolina
| | - Umut A. Gurkan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio
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22
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Foy BH, Gonçalves BP, Higgins JM. Unraveling Disease Pathophysiology with Mathematical Modeling. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE 2020; 15:371-394. [PMID: 31977295 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012419-032557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Modeling has enabled fundamental advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of health and disease for centuries, since at least the time of William Harvey almost 500 years ago. Recent technological advances in molecular methods, computation, and imaging generate optimism that mathematical modeling will enable the biomedical research community to accelerate its efforts in unraveling the molecular, cellular, tissue-, and organ-level processes that maintain health, predispose to disease, and determine response to treatment. In this review, we discuss some of the roles of mathematical modeling in the study of human physiology and pathophysiology and some challenges and opportunities in general and in two specific areas: in vivo modeling of pulmonary function and in vitro modeling of blood cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brody H Foy
- Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA; .,Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Bronner P Gonçalves
- Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA; .,Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - John M Higgins
- Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA; .,Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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23
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Metabolic Switching of Tumor Cells under Hypoxic Conditions in a Tumor-on-a-chip Model. MICROMACHINES 2020; 11:mi11040382. [PMID: 32260396 PMCID: PMC7231186 DOI: 10.3390/mi11040382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia switches the metabolism of tumor cells and induces drug resistance. Currently, no therapeutic exists that effectively and specifically targets hypoxic cells in tumors. Development of such therapeutics critically depends on the availability of in vitro models that accurately recapitulate hypoxia as found in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we report on the design and validation of an easy-to-fabricate tumor-on-a-chip microfluidic platform that robustly emulates the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. The tumor-on-a-chip model consists of a central chamber for 3D tumor cell culture and two side channels for medium perfusion. The microfluidic device is fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and oxygen diffusion in the device is blocked by an embedded sheet of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Hypoxia was confirmed using oxygen-sensitive probes and the effect on the 3D tumor cell culture investigated by a pH-sensitive dual-labeled fluorescent dextran and a fluorescently labeled glucose analogue. In contrast to control devices without PMMA, PMMA-containing devices gave rise to decreases in oxygen and pH levels as well as an increased consumption of glucose after two days of culture, indicating a rapid metabolic switch of the tumor cells under hypoxic conditions towards increased glycolysis. This platform will open new avenues for testing anti-cancer therapies targeting hypoxic areas.
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24
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Hansen S, Wood DK, Higgins JM. 5-(Hydroxymethyl)furfural restores low-oxygen rheology of sickle trait blood in vitro. Br J Haematol 2019; 188:985-993. [PMID: 31889311 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.16251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Sickle cell trait (SCT) is the benign heterozygous carrier state for the sickle variant of the HBB gene. Most of the ~300 million people with SCT worldwide will not experience any significant complications. However, accumulating evidence finds SCT associated with increased risk for the common conditions of chronic kidney disease and venous thromboembolism, and severe but rare renal medullary carcinoma and exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis. The mechanism is uncertain, but probably involves pathological rheology of SCT blood in regions of low oxygen tension, resulting from sickle haemoglobin polymerization in SCT red cells and leading to reduced blood flow and further tissue hypoxia and damage. Here, we used an in vitro microfluidic flow system to study the oxygen-dependent rheology of SCT blood and show that 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural, a natural breakdown product of glucose and fructose-containing foods, such as fruit juices, can reduce the effects of hypoxia on SCT blood rheology in vitro, restoring near-normal flow velocities at very low oxygen. While opinions regarding the clinical significance of the risks associated with SCT are still evolving, these results suggest that a compound present in some food may provide a potential approach for managing risks that may be associated with SCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Hansen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - John M Higgins
- Center for Systems Biology, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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25
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Grist SM, Nasseri SS, Laplatine L, Schmok JC, Yao D, Hua J, Chrostowski L, Cheung KC. Long-term monitoring in a microfluidic system to study tumour spheroid response to chronic and cycling hypoxia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17782. [PMID: 31780697 PMCID: PMC6883080 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We demonstrate the application of a microfluidic platform combining spatiotemporal oxygen control and long-term microscopy monitoring to observe tumour spheroid response to hypoxia. The platform is capable of recreating physiologically-relevant low and cycling oxygen levels not attainable in traditional cell culture environments, while image-based monitoring visualizes cell response to these physiologically-relevant conditions. Monitoring spheroid cultures during hypoxic exposure allows us to observe, for the first time, that spheroids swell and shrink in response to time-varying oxygen profiles switching between 0% and 10% O2; this swelling-shrinkage behaviour appears to be driven by swelling of individual cells within the spheroids. We also apply the system to monitoring tumour models during anticancer treatment under varying oxygen conditions. We observe higher uptake of the anticancer agent doxorubicin under a cycling hypoxia profile than under either chronic hypoxia or in vitro normoxia, and the two-photon microscopy monitoring facilitated by our system also allows us to observe heterogeneity in doxorubicin uptake within spheroids at the single-cell level. Combining optical sectioning microscopy with precise spatiotemporal oxygen control and 3D culture opens the door for a wide range of future studies on microenvironmental mechanisms driving cancer progression and resistance to anticancer therapy. These types of studies could facilitate future improvements in cancer diagnostics and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Grist
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
| | - S Soroush Nasseri
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Loïc Laplatine
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jonathan C Schmok
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Dickson Yao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jessica Hua
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Lukas Chrostowski
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Karen C Cheung
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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26
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Valdez JM, Datta YH, Higgins JM, Wood DK. A microfluidic platform for simultaneous quantification of oxygen-dependent viscosity and shear thinning in sickle cell blood. APL Bioeng 2019; 3:046102. [PMID: 31803859 PMCID: PMC6881198 DOI: 10.1063/1.5118212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathology of sickle cell disease begins with the polymerization of intracellular hemoglobin under low oxygen tension, which leads to increased blood effective viscosity and vaso-occlusion. However, it has remained unclear how single-cell changes propagate up to the scale of bulk blood effective viscosity. Here, we use a custom microfluidic system to investigate how the increase in the stiffness of individual cells leads to an increase in the shear stress required for the same fluid strain in a suspension of softer cells. We characterize both the shear-rate dependence and the oxygen-tension dependence of the effective viscosity of sickle cell blood, and we assess the effect of the addition of increasing fractions of normal cells whose material properties are independent of oxygen tension, a scenario relevant to the treatment of sickle patients with blood transfusion. For untransfused sickle cell blood, we find an overall increase in effective viscosity at all oxygen tensions and shear rates along with an attenuation in the degree of shear-thinning achieved at the lowest oxygen tensions. We also find that in some cases, even a small fraction of transfused blood cells restores the shape of the shear-thinning relationship, though not the overall baseline effective viscosity. These results suggest that untransfused sickle cell blood will show the most extreme relative rheologic impairment in regions of high shear and that introducing even small fractions of normal blood cells may help retain some shear-thinning capability though without addressing a baseline relative increase in effective viscosity independent of shear.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Valdez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Yvonne H Datta
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - John M Higgins
- Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA and Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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27
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Liu N, Du P, Xiao X, Liu Y, Peng Y, Yang C, Yue T. Microfluidic-Based Mechanical Phenotyping of Androgen-Sensitive and Non-sensitive Prostate Cancer Cells Lines. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:E602. [PMID: 31547397 PMCID: PMC6780375 DOI: 10.3390/mi10090602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cell mechanical properties have been identified to characterize cells pathologic states. Here, we report our work on high-throughput mechanical phenotyping of androgen-sensitive and non-sensitive human prostate cancer cell lines based on a morphological rheological microfluidic method. The theory for extracting cells' elastic modulus from their deformation and area, and the used experimental parameters were analyzed. The mechanical properties of three types of prostate cancer cells lines with different sensitivity to androgen including LNCaP, DU145, and PC3 were quantified. The result shows that LNCaP cell was the softest, DU145 was the second softest, and PC3 was the stiffest. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to verify the effectiveness of this high-throughput morphological rheological method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Liu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Panpan Du
- School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Xiaoxiao Xiao
- School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Yan Peng
- School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Chen Yang
- Fudan Institute of Urology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
| | - Tao Yue
- School of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
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28
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Catarino SO, Rodrigues RO, Pinho D, Miranda JM, Minas G, Lima R. Blood Cells Separation and Sorting Techniques of Passive Microfluidic Devices: From Fabrication to Applications. MICROMACHINES 2019; 10:mi10090593. [PMID: 31510012 PMCID: PMC6780402 DOI: 10.3390/mi10090593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Since the first microfluidic device was developed more than three decades ago, microfluidics is seen as a technology that exhibits unique features to provide a significant change in the way that modern biology is performed. Blood and blood cells are recognized as important biomarkers of many diseases. Taken advantage of microfluidics assets, changes on blood cell physicochemical properties can be used for fast and accurate clinical diagnosis. In this review, an overview of the microfabrication techniques is given, especially for biomedical applications, as well as a synopsis of some design considerations regarding microfluidic devices. The blood cells separation and sorting techniques were also reviewed, highlighting the main achievements and breakthroughs in the last decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana O Catarino
- Center for MicroElectromechanical Systems (CMEMS-UMinho), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Raquel O Rodrigues
- Center for MicroElectromechanical Systems (CMEMS-UMinho), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Diana Pinho
- Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
- CEFT, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Rua Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - João M Miranda
- CEFT, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Rua Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
| | - Graça Minas
- Center for MicroElectromechanical Systems (CMEMS-UMinho), University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rui Lima
- CEFT, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP), Rua Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
- MEtRICs, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal.
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29
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Friese A, Ursu A, Hochheimer A, Schöler HR, Waldmann H, Bruder JM. The Convergence of Stem Cell Technologies and Phenotypic Drug Discovery. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 26:1050-1066. [PMID: 31231030 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell technologies and phenotypic screening shape the future of bioactive small-molecule discovery. In this review we analyze the impact of small-molecule phenotypic screens on drug discovery as well as on the investigation of human development and disease biology. We further examine the role of 3D spheroid/organoid structures, microfluidic systems, and miniaturized on-a-chip systems for future discovery strategies. In highlighting representative examples, we analyze how recent achievements can translate into future therapies. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges that need to be overcome for the adaptation of the next generation of screening approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Friese
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Andrei Ursu
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 44227 Dortmund, Germany; Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA; Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Andreas Hochheimer
- ISAR Bioscience GmbH, Institute for Stem Cell & Applied Regenerative Medicine Research, 82152 Planegg, Germany
| | - Hans R Schöler
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, 48149 Münster, Germany; Medical Faculty, University of Münster, Domagkstrasse 3, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Herbert Waldmann
- Department of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 44227 Dortmund, Germany; Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Jan M Bruder
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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30
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Sun CW, Wu LC, Wankhede M, Wang D, Thoerner J, Woody L, Sorg BS, Townes TM, Terman DS. Exogenous sickle erythrocytes combined with vascular disruption trigger disseminated tumor vaso-occlusion and lung tumor regression. JCI Insight 2019; 4:125535. [PMID: 30944254 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.125535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxic tumor niches are chief causes of treatment resistance and tumor recurrence. Sickle erythrocytes' (SSRBCs') intrinsic oxygen-sensing functionality empowers them to access such hypoxic niches wherein they form microaggregates that induce focal vessel closure. In search of measures to augment the scale of SSRBC-mediated tumor vaso-occlusion, we turned to the vascular disrupting agent, combretastatin A-4 (CA-4). CA-4 induces selective tumor endothelial injury, blood stasis, and hypoxia but fails to eliminate peripheral tumor foci. In this article, we show that introducing deoxygenated SSRBCs into tumor microvessels treated with CA-4 and sublethal radiation (SR) produces a massive surge of tumor vaso-occlusion and broadly propagated tumor infarctions that engulfs treatment-resistant hypoxic niches and eradicates established lung tumors. Tumor regression was histologically corroborated by significant treatment effect. Treated tumors displayed disseminated microvessels occluded by tightly packed SSRBCs along with widely distributed pimidazole-positive hypoxic tumor cells. Humanized HbS-knockin mice (SSKI) but not HbA-knockin mice (AAKI) showed a similar treatment response underscoring SSRBCs as the paramount tumoricidal effectors. Thus, CA-4-SR-remodeled tumor vessels license SSRBCs to produce an unprecedented surge of tumor vaso-occlusion and infarction that envelops treatment-resistant tumor niches resulting in complete tumor regression. Strategically deployed, these innovative tools constitute a major conceptual advance with compelling translational potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiao-Wang Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Li-Chen Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Mamta Wankhede
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Dezhi Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Jutta Thoerner
- Histopathology Section, Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, California, USA
| | - Lawrence Woody
- Histopathology Section, Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, California, USA
| | - Brian S Sorg
- Cancer Diagnosis Program, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Tim M Townes
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - David S Terman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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31
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Lu X, Chaudhury A, Higgins JM, Wood DK. Oxygen-dependent flow of sickle trait blood as an in vitro therapeutic benchmark for sickle cell disease treatments. Am J Hematol 2018; 93:1227-1235. [PMID: 30033564 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.25227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Although homozygous sickle cell disease is often clinically severe, the corresponding heterozygous state, sickle cell trait, is almost completely benign despite the fact that there is only a modest difference in sickle hemoglobin levels between the two conditions. In both conditions, hypoxia can lead to polymerization of sickle hemoglobin, changes in red cell mechanical properties, and impaired blood flow. Here, we test the hypothesis that differences in the oxygen-dependent rheological properties in the two conditions might help explain the difference in clinical phenotypes. We use a microfluidic platform that permits quantification of blood rheology under defined oxygen conditions in physiologically sized microchannels and under physiologic shear rates. We find that, even with its lower sickle hemoglobin concentration, sickle trait blood apparent viscosity increases with decreasing oxygen tension and may stop flowing under completely anoxic conditions, though far less readily than the homozygous condition. Sickle cell trait blood flow becomes impaired at significantly lower oxygen tension than sickle cell disease. We also demonstrate how sickle cell trait can serve as a benchmark for sickle cell disease therapies. We characterize the rheological effects of exchange transfusion therapy by mixing sickle blood with nonsickle blood and quantifying the transfusion targets for sickle hemoglobin composition below which the rheological response resembles sickle trait. These studies quantify the differences in blood flow phenotypes of sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait, and they provide a potentially powerful new benchmark for evaluating putative therapies in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Lu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota
| | - Anwesha Chaudhury
- Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology; Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Systems Biology; Harvard Medical School; Boston Massachusetts
| | - John M. Higgins
- Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology; Massachusetts General Hospital; Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Systems Biology; Harvard Medical School; Boston Massachusetts
| | - David K. Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota
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32
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Lizarralde Iragorri MA, El Hoss S, Brousse V, Lefevre SD, Dussiot M, Xu T, Ferreira AR, Lamarre Y, Silva Pinto AC, Kashima S, Lapouméroulie C, Covas DT, Le Van Kim C, Colin Y, Elion J, Français O, Le Pioufle B, El Nemer W. A microfluidic approach to study the effect of mechanical stress on erythrocytes in sickle cell disease. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:2975-2984. [PMID: 30168832 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00637g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The human red blood cell is a biconcave disc of 6-8 × 2 μm that is highly elastic. This capacity to deform enables it to stretch while circulating through narrow capillaries to ensure its main function of gas exchange. Red cell shape and deformability are altered in membrane disorders because of defects in skeletal or membrane proteins affecting protein-protein interactions. Red cell properties are also altered in other pathologies such as sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a genetic hereditary disorder caused by a single point mutation in the β-globin gene generating sickle haemoglobin (HbS). Hypoxia drives HbS polymerisation that is responsible for red cell sickling and reduced deformability. The main clinical features of sickle cell disease are vaso-occlusive crises and haemolytic anaemia. Foetal haemoglobin (HbF) inhibits HbS polymerisation and positively impacts red cell survival in the circulation but the mechanism through which it exerts this action is not fully characterized. In this study, we designed a microfluidic biochip mimicking the dimensions of human capillaries to measure the impact of repeated mechanical stress on the survival of red cells at the single cell scale under controlled pressure. We show that mechanical stress is a critical parameter underlying intravascular haemolysis in sickle cell disease and that high intracellular levels of HbF protect against lysis. The biochip is a promising tool to address red cell deformability in pathological situations and to screen for molecules positively impacting this parameter in order to improve red cell survival in the circulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Alejandra Lizarralde Iragorri
- Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge UMR_S1134, Inserm, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Univ. de la Réunion, Univ. des Antilles, INTS, 6 rue Alexandre Cabanel, 75015 Paris, France.
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33
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Abstract
Over the past six decades the inflation-adjusted cost to bring a new drug to market has been increasing constantly and doubles every 9 years - now reaching in excess of $2.5 billion. Overall, the likelihood of FDA approval for a drug (any disease indication) that has entered phase I clinical trials is a mere 9.6%, with the approval rate for oncology far below average at only 5.1%. Lack of efficacy or toxicity is often not revealed until the later stages of clinical trials, despite promising preclinical data. This indicates that the current in vitro systems for drug screening need to be improved for better predictability of in vivo outcomes. Microphysiological systems (MPS), or bioengineered 3D microfluidic tissue and organ constructs that mimic physiological and pathological processes in vitro, can be leveraged across preclinical research and clinical trial stages to transform drug development and clinical management for a range of diseases. Here we review the current state-of-the-art in 3D tissue-engineering models developed for cancer research, with a focus on tumor-on-a-chip, or tumor chip, models. From our viewpoint, tumor chip systems can advance innovative medicine to ameliorate the high failure rates in anti-cancer drug development and clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J Hachey
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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34
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Chang CC, Wang K, Zhang Y, Chen D, Fan B, Hsieh CH, Wang J, Wu MH, Chen J. Mechanical property characterization of hundreds of single nuclei based on microfluidic constriction channel. Cytometry A 2018; 93:822-828. [PMID: 30063818 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.23386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
As label-free biomarkers, the mechanical properties of nuclei are widely treated as promising biomechanical markers for cell type classification and cellular status evaluation. However, previously reported mechanical parameters were derived from only around 10 nuclei, lacking statistical significances due to low sample numbers. To address this issue, nuclei were first isolated from SW620 and A549 cells, respectively, using a chemical treatment method. This was followed by aspirating them through two types of microfluidic constriction channels for mechanical property characterization. In this study, hundreds of nuclei were characterized, producing passage times of 0.5 ± 1.2 s for SW620 nuclei in type I constriction channel (n = 153), 0.045 ± 0.047 s for SW620 nuclei in type II constriction channel (n = 215) and 0.50 ± 0.86 s for A549 nuclei in type II constriction channel. In addition, neural network based pattern recognition was used to classify the nuclei isolated from SW620 and A549 cells, producing successful classification rates of 87.2% for diameters of nuclei, 85.5% for passage times of nuclei and 89.3% for both passage times and diameters of nuclei. These results indicate that the characterization of the mechanical properties of nuclei may contribute to the classification of different tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Chieh Chang
- Graduate Institute of Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Ke Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering/School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering/School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Deyong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering/School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Beiyuan Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering/School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Chia-Hsun Hsieh
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Junbo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering/School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Min-Hsien Wu
- Graduate Institute of Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.,Division of Haematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Jian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Transducer Technology, Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.,School of Electronic, Electrical and Communication Engineering/School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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35
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Abstract
Non-adherence and deformability are the key intrinsic biomechanical features of the red blood cell (RBC), which allow it to tightly squeeze and pass through even the narrowest of microcirculatory networks. Blockage of microcirculatory flow, also known as vaso-occlusion, is a consequence of abnormal cellular adhesion to the vascular endothelium. In sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited anaemia, even though RBCs have been shown to be heterogeneous in adhesiveness and deformability, this has not been studied in the context of physiologically relevant dynamic shear gradients at the microscale. We developed a microfluidic system that simulates physiologically relevant shear gradients of microcirculatory blood flow at a constant single volumetric flow rate. Using this system, shear dependent adhesion of RBCs from 28 subjects with SCD and from 11 healthy subjects was investigated using vascular endothelial protein functionalized microchannels. We defined a new term, RBC Shear Gradient Microfluidic Adhesion (SiGMA) index to assess shear dependent RBC adhesion in a subject-specific manner. We have shown for the first time that shear dependent adhesion of RBCs is heterogeneous in a microfluidic flow model, which correlates clinically with inflammatory markers and iron overload in subjects with SCD. This study reveals the complex dynamic interactions between RBC-mediated microcirculatory occlusion and clinical outcomes in SCD. These interactions may also be relevant to other microcirculatory disorders and microvascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erdem Kucukal
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, Case Western Reserve University, Glennan 616B, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, USA.
| | - Jane A Little
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA and Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals, Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Umut A Gurkan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, Case Western Reserve University, Glennan 616B, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, USA. and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA and Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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36
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Martewicz S, Gabrel G, Campesan M, Canton M, Di Lisa F, Elvassore N. Live Cell Imaging in Microfluidic Device Proves Resistance to Oxygen/Glucose Deprivation in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Anal Chem 2018; 90:5687-5695. [PMID: 29595056 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b05347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Analyses of cellular responses to fast oxygen dynamics are challenging and require ad hoc technological solutions, especially when decoupling from liquid media composition is required. In this work, we present a microfluidic device specifically designed for culture analyses with high resolution and magnification objectives, providing full optical access to the cell culture chamber. This feature allows fluorescence-based assays, photoactivated surface chemistry, and live cell imaging under tightly controlled pO2 environments. The device has a simple design, accommodates three independent cell cultures, and can be employed by users with basic cell culture training in studies requiring fast oxygen dynamics, defined media composition, and in-line data acquisition with optical molecular probes. We apply this technology to produce an oxygen/glucose deprived (OGD) environment and analyze cell mortality in murine and human cardiac cultures. Neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes show an OGD time-dependent sensitivity, resulting in a robust and reproducible 66 ± 5% death rate after 3 h of stress. Applying an equivalent stress to human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPS-CMs) provides direct experimental evidence for fetal-like OGD-resistant phenotype. Investigation on the nature of such phenotype exposed large glycogen deposits. We propose a culture strategy aimed at depleting these intracellular energy stores and concurrently activate positive regulation of aerobic metabolic molecular markers. The observed process, however, is not sufficient to induce an OGD-sensitive phenotype in hiPS-CMs, highlighting defective development of mature aerobic metabolism in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Martewicz
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS) , Shanghai Tech University , Shanghai , China.,Department of Industrial Engineering , University of Padova , via Marzolo 9 , 35131 Padova , Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine , via Orus 2 , 35129 Padova , Italy
| | - Giulia Gabrel
- Department of Industrial Engineering , University of Padova , via Marzolo 9 , 35131 Padova , Italy
| | - Marika Campesan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padova , via Bassi 58/B , 35121 Padova , Italy
| | - Marcella Canton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padova , via Bassi 58/B , 35121 Padova , Italy
| | - Fabio Di Lisa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padova , via Bassi 58/B , 35121 Padova , Italy
| | - Nicola Elvassore
- Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Section , UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health , 30 Guilford Street , London WC1N 1EH , U.K.,Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS) , Shanghai Tech University , Shanghai , China.,Department of Industrial Engineering , University of Padova , via Marzolo 9 , 35131 Padova , Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine , via Orus 2 , 35129 Padova , Italy
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37
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Horton RE. Microfluidics for investigating vaso-occlusions in sickle cell disease. Microcirculation 2018; 24. [PMID: 28376286 DOI: 10.1111/micc.12373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
SCD stems from amutation in the beta globin gene. Upon deoxygenation, hemoglobin polymerizes and triggers RBC remodeling. This phenomenon is central to SCD pathogenesis as individuals suffering from the disease are plagued by painful vaso-occlusive crises episodes. These episodes are the result of a combination of processes including inflammation, thrombosis, and blood cell adhesion to the vascular wall which leads to blockages within the vasculature termed vaso-occlusions. Vaso-occlusive episodes deprive tissues of oxygen and are a major contributor to SCD-related complications; unfortunately, the complex mechanisms that contribute to vaso-occlusions are not well understood. Vaso-occlusions can occur in post-capillary venules; hence, the microvasculature is a prime target for SCD therapies. Traditional in vitro systems poorly recapitulate architectural and dynamic flow properties of in vivo systems. However, microfluidic devices can capture features of the native vasculature such as cellular composition, flow, geometry, and ECM presentation. This review, although not comprehensive, highlights microfluidic approaches that aim to improve our current understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms surrounding SCD. Microfluidic platforms can aid in identifying factors that may contribute to disease severity and can serve as suitable test beds for novel treatment strategies which may improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renita E Horton
- Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA
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Carden MA, Fay M, Sakurai Y, McFarland B, Blanche S, DiPrete C, Joiner CH, Sulchek T, Lam WA. Normal saline is associated with increased sickle red cell stiffness and prolonged transit times in a microfluidic model of the capillary system. Microcirculation 2018; 24. [PMID: 28106307 DOI: 10.1111/micc.12353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) is a complex process that occurs in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and is often associated with pain and urgent hospitalization. A major instigator of VOC is microvascular obstruction by pathologically stiffened sickle red blood cells (RBCs), and thus, therapy relies heavily on optimizing intravenous fluid (IVF) hydration to increase RBC deformability. However, no evidence-based guidelines regarding the choice of IVF currently exist. We therefore analyzed alterations in biomechanical properties of sickle RBCs isolated from patients with homozygous SCD (hemoglobin SS) after exposure to different osmolarities of clinical IVF formulations. METHODS Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to assess stiffness of RBCs after exposure to different IVFs. A microfluidic model of the human capillary system was used to assess transit time (TT) and propensity to occlusion after exposure to the different IVF formulations. RESULTS Sickle RBCs exposed to normal saline (NS) had increased stiffness, TTs, and propensity to microchannel occlusion compared to other osmolarities. CONCLUSION NS, an IVF formulation often used to treat patients with SCD during VOC, may induce localized microvascular obstruction due to alterations of sickle RBC biomechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus A Carden
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Meredith Fay
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yumiko Sakurai
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Brynn McFarland
- Georgia Tech School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sydney Blanche
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Caleb DiPrete
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Clinton H Joiner
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Todd Sulchek
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Lu X, Galarneau MM, Higgins JM, Wood DK. A microfluidic platform to study the effects of vascular architecture and oxygen gradients on sickle blood flow. Microcirculation 2018; 24. [PMID: 28129479 DOI: 10.1111/micc.12357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Our goal was to develop a model of the microvasculature that would allow us to quantify changes in the rheology of sickle blood as it traverses the varying vessel sizes and oxygen tensions in the microcirculation. We designed and implemented a microfluidic model of the microcirculation that comprises a branching microvascular network and physiologic oxygen gradients. We used computational modeling to determine the parameters necessary to generate stable, linear gradients in our devices. Sickle blood from six unique patients was perfused through the microvascular network and subjected to varying oxygen gradients while we observed and quantified blood flow. We found that all sickle blood samples fully occluded the microvascular network when deoxygenated, and we observed that sickle blood could cause vaso-occlusions under physiologic oxygen gradients during the microvascular transit time. The number of occlusions observed under five unique oxygen gradients varied among the patient samples, but we generally observed that the number of occlusions decreased with increasing inlet oxygen tension. The model system we have developed is a valuable tool to address fundamental questions about where in the circulation sickle-cell vaso-occlusions are most likely to occur and to test new therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Lu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Michelle M Galarneau
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - John M Higgins
- Department of Pathology, Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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40
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Liu J, Qiang Y, Alvarez O, Du E. Electrical impedance microflow cytometry with oxygen control for detection of sickle cells. SENSORS AND ACTUATORS. B, CHEMICAL 2018; 255:2392-2398. [PMID: 29731543 PMCID: PMC5929988 DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2017.08.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Polymerization of intracellular sickle hemoglobin induced by low oxygen tension has been recognized as a primary determinant of the pathophysiologic manifestations in sickle cell disease. Existing flow cytometry techniques for detection of sickle cells are typically based on fluorescence markers or cellular morphological analysis. Using microfluidics and electrical impedance spectroscopy, we develop a new, label-free flow cytometry for non-invasive measurement of single cells under controlled oxygen level. We demonstrate the capability of this new technique by determining the electrical impedance differential of normal red blood cells obtained from a healthy donor and sickle cells obtained from three sickle cell patients, under normoxic and hypoxic conditions and at three different electrical frequencies, 156 kHz, 500 kHz and 3 MHz. Under normoxia, normal cells and sickle cells can be separated completely using electrical impedance at 156 kHz and 500 kHz but not at 3 MHz. Sickle cells, intra-patient and inter-patient show significantly different electrical impedance between normoxia and hypoxia at all three frequencies. This study shows a proof of concept that electrical impedance signal can be used as an indicator of the disease state of a red blood cell as well as the cell sickling events in sickle cell disease. Electrical impedance-based microflow cytometry with oxygen control is a new method that can be potentially used for sickle cell disease diagnosis and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Liu
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Yuhao Qiang
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Ofelia Alvarez
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - E Du
- Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
- Corresponding author at: Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, 777 Glades Road, Bldg. 36-175, Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991, USA. (E. Du)
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41
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A physical approach to model occlusions in the retinal microvasculature. Eye (Lond) 2018; 32:189-194. [PMID: 29328067 DOI: 10.1038/eye.2017.270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Blood occlusions in the retinal microvasculature contribute to the pathology of many disease states within the eye. These events can cause haemorrhaging and retinal detachment, leading to a loss of vision in the affected patient. Here, we present a physical approach to characterising the collective cell dynamics leading to plug formation, through the use of a bespoke microfluidic device, and through the derivation of a probabilistic model. Our microfluidic device is based on a filtration design that can tune the particle volume fraction of a flowing suspension within a conduit, with sizes similar to arterioles. This allows us to control and reproduce an occlusive event. The formation of the occlusion can be examined through the extracted motion of particles within the channel, which enables the assessment of individual and collective particle dynamics in the time leading to the clogging event. In particular, we observe that at the onset of the occlusion, particles form an arch bridging the channel walls. The data presented here inform the development of our mathematical model, which captures the essential factors promoting occlusions, and notably highlights the central role of adhesion in these processes. Both the physical and probabilistic models rely on significant approximations, and future investigation will seek to assess these approximations, including the deformability and complex flow profiles of the blood constituents. However, we anticipate that the general mechanisms of occlusion may be elucidated from these simple models. As microvascular flows in the eye can now be measured in vivo and non-invasively with single cell resolution, our model will also be compared to the pathophysiological characteristics of the human microcirculation.
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Carden MA, Fay ME, Lu X, Mannino RG, Sakurai Y, Ciciliano JC, Hansen CE, Chonat S, Joiner CH, Wood DK, Lam WA. Extracellular fluid tonicity impacts sickle red blood cell deformability and adhesion. Blood 2017; 130:2654-2663. [PMID: 28978568 PMCID: PMC5731085 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2017-04-780635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormal sickle red blood cell (sRBC) biomechanics, including pathological deformability and adhesion, correlate with clinical severity in sickle cell disease (SCD). Clinical intravenous fluids (IVFs) of various tonicities are often used during treatment of vaso-occlusive pain episodes (VOE), the major cause of morbidity in SCD. However, evidence-based guidelines are lacking, and there is no consensus regarding which IVFs to use during VOE. Further, it is unknown how altering extracellular fluid tonicity with IVFs affects sRBC biomechanics in the microcirculation, where vaso-occlusion takes place. Here, we report how altering extracellular fluid tonicity with admixtures of clinical IVFs affects sRBC biomechanical properties by leveraging novel in vitro microfluidic models of the microcirculation, including 1 capable of deoxygenating the sRBC environment to monitor changes in microchannel occlusion risk and an "endothelialized" microvascular model that measures alterations in sRBC/endothelium adhesion under postcapillary venular conditions. Admixtures with higher tonicities (sodium = 141 mEq/L) affected sRBC biomechanics by decreasing sRBC deformability, increasing sRBC occlusion under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, and increasing sRBC adhesion in our microfluidic human microvasculature models. Admixtures with excessive hypotonicity (sodium = 103 mEq/L), in contrast, decreased sRBC adhesion, but overswelling prolonged sRBC transit times in capillary-sized microchannels. Admixtures with intermediate tonicities (sodium = 111-122 mEq/L) resulted in optimal changes in sRBC biomechanics, thereby reducing the risk for vaso-occlusion in our models. These results have significant translational implications for patients with SCD and warrant a large-scale prospective clinical study addressing optimal IVF management during VOE in SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus A Carden
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Meredith E Fay
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Xinran Lu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Robert G Mannino
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Yumiko Sakurai
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Jordan C Ciciliano
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and
| | - Caroline E Hansen
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
| | - Satheesh Chonat
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Clinton H Joiner
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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Fai TG, Leo-Macias A, Stokes DL, Peskin CS. Image-based model of the spectrin cytoskeleton for red blood cell simulation. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005790. [PMID: 28991926 PMCID: PMC5654263 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We simulate deformable red blood cells in the microcirculation using the immersed boundary method with a cytoskeletal model that incorporates structural details revealed by tomographic images. The elasticity of red blood cells is known to be supplied by both their lipid bilayer membranes, which resist bending and local changes in area, and their cytoskeletons, which resist in-plane shear. The cytoskeleton consists of spectrin tetramers that are tethered to the lipid bilayer by ankyrin and by actin-based junctional complexes. We model the cytoskeleton as a random geometric graph, with nodes corresponding to junctional complexes and with edges corresponding to spectrin tetramers such that the edge lengths are given by the end-to-end distances between nodes. The statistical properties of this graph are based on distributions gathered from three-dimensional tomographic images of the cytoskeleton by a segmentation algorithm. We show that the elastic response of our model cytoskeleton, in which the spectrin polymers are treated as entropic springs, is in good agreement with the experimentally measured shear modulus. By simulating red blood cells in flow with the immersed boundary method, we compare this discrete cytoskeletal model to an existing continuum model and predict the extent to which dynamic spectrin network connectivity can protect against failure in the case of a red cell subjected to an applied strain. The methods presented here could form the basis of disease- and patient-specific computational studies of hereditary diseases affecting the red cell cytoskeleton. Red blood cells are responsible for delivering oxygen to tissues throughout the body. These terminally differentiated cells have developed a fascinating flexibility and resiliency that is critical to navigating the circulatory system. Far from being rigid bodies, red blood cells adopt biconcave disk shapes at equilibrium, parachute-like shapes as they move between large vessels and small capillaries, and more extreme shapes as they traverse the endothelial slits of the spleen. Understanding the remarkable mechanical properties that allow red cells to experience such large deformations while maintaining structural integrity is a fundamental question in physiology that may help advance treatments of genetic disorders such as hereditary spherocytosis and elliptocytosis that affect red cell flexibility and can lead to severe anemia. In this work, we present a model of the red blood cell cytoskeleton based on cryoelectron tomography data. We develop an image processing technique to gather statistics from these data and use these statistics to generate a random entropic network to model the cytoskeleton. We then simulate the behavior of the resulting red blood cells in flow. As we demonstrate through simulations, this method makes it possible to examine the consequences of changes in microstructural properties such as the rate of cytoskeletal remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G. Fai
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Alejandra Leo-Macias
- Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - David L. Stokes
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Charles S. Peskin
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
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44
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Buckley EM, Platt MO, Lam WA. Novel in vivo and in vitro techniques to image and model the cerebral vasculature in sickle cell disease. Blood Cells Mol Dis 2017; 67:114-119. [PMID: 28822622 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcmd.2017.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Erin M Buckley
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, United States.
| | - Manu O Platt
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, United States.
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, United States; Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, United States.
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Kim M, Alapan Y, Adhikari A, Little JA, Gurkan UA. Hypoxia-enhanced adhesion of red blood cells in microscale flow. Microcirculation 2017; 24:10.1111/micc.12374. [PMID: 28387057 PMCID: PMC5679205 DOI: 10.1111/micc.12374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The advancement of microfluidic technology has facilitated the simulation of physiological conditions of the microcirculation, such as oxygen tension, fluid flow, and shear stress in these devices. Here, we present a micro-gas exchanger integrated with microfluidics to study RBC adhesion under hypoxic flow conditions mimicking postcapillary venules. METHODS We simulated a range of physiological conditions and explored RBC adhesion to endothelial or subendothelial components (FN or LN). Blood samples were injected into microchannels at normoxic or hypoxic physiological flow conditions. Quantitative evaluation of RBC adhesion was performed on 35 subjects with homozygous SCD. RESULTS Significant heterogeneity in RBC adherence response to hypoxia was seen among SCD patients. RBCs from a HEA population showed a significantly greater increase in adhesion compared to RBCs from a HNA population, for both FN and LN. CONCLUSIONS The approach presented here enabled the control of oxygen tension in blood during microscale flow and the quantification of RBC adhesion in a cost-efficient and patient-specific manner. We identified a unique patient population in which RBCs showed enhanced adhesion in hypoxia in vitro. Clinical correlates suggest a more severe clinical phenotype in this subgroup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myeongseop Kim
- Case Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Yunus Alapan
- Case Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Anima Adhikari
- Case Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jane A. Little
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Umut A. Gurkan
- Case Biomanufacturing and Microfabrication Laboratory, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Orthopaedics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Trejo-Soto C, Costa-Miracle E, Rodriguez-Villarreal I, Cid J, Castro M, Alarcon T, Hernandez-Machado A. Front microrheology of the non-Newtonian behaviour of blood: scaling theory of erythrocyte aggregation by aging. SOFT MATTER 2017; 13:3042-3047. [PMID: 28375423 DOI: 10.1039/c6sm02412b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a new framework to study the non-Newtonian behaviour of fluids at the microscale based on the analysis of front advancement. We apply this methodology to study the non-linear rheology of blood in microchannels. We carry out experiments in which the non-linear viscosity of blood samples is quantified at different haematocrits and ages. Under these conditions, blood exhibits a power-law dependence on the shear rate. In order to analyse our experimental data, we put forward a scaling theory which allows us to define an adhesion scaling number. This theory yields a scaling behaviour of the viscosity expressed as a function of the adhesion capillary number. By applying this scaling theory to samples of different ages, we are able to quantify how the characteristic adhesion energy varies as time progresses. This connection between microscopic and mesoscopic properties allows us to estimate quantitatively the change in the cell-cell adhesion energies as the sample ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Trejo-Soto
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain. and Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Costa-Miracle
- Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Departament de Matemàtiques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BGSMath), Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Rodriguez-Villarreal
- Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Cid
- Servicio de Hemoterapia y Hemostasia, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Castro
- GISC and Grupo de Dinámica No Lineal (DNL), Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería (ICAI), Universidad Pontificia Comillas, E-28015 Madrid, Spain
| | - T Alarcon
- Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Departament de Matemàtiques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BGSMath), Barcelona, Spain and ICREA, Pg. Llus Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Hernandez-Machado
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain. and Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain and Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BGSMath), Barcelona, Spain and Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Patient-specific modeling of individual sickle cell behavior under transient hypoxia. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005426. [PMID: 28288152 PMCID: PMC5367819 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a highly complex genetic blood disorder in which red blood cells (RBC) exhibit heterogeneous morphology changes and decreased deformability. We employ a kinetic model for cell morphological sickling that invokes parameters derived from patient-specific data. This model is used to investigate the dynamics of individual sickle cells in a capillary-like microenvironment in order to address various mechanisms associated with SCD. We show that all RBCs, both hypoxia-unaffected and hypoxia-affected ones, regularly pass through microgates under oxygenated state. However, the hypoxia-affected cells undergo sickling which significantly alters cell dynamics. In particular, the dense and rigid sickle RBCs are obstructed thereby clogging blood flow while the less dense and deformable ones are capable of circumnavigating dead (trapped) cells ahead of them by choosing a serpentine path. Informed by recent experiments involving microfluidics that provide in vitro quantitative information on cell dynamics under transient hypoxia conditions, we have performed detailed computational simulations of alterations to cell behavior in response to morphological changes and membrane stiffening. Our model reveals that SCD exhibits substantial heterogeneity even within a particular density-fractionated subpopulation. These findings provide unique insights into how individual sickle cells move through capillaries under transient hypoxic conditions, and offer novel possibilities for designing effective therapeutic interventions for SCD. Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disease that causes vaso-occlusive pain crises. Here, we investigate the individual sickle cell behavior under controlled hypoxic conditions through patient-specific predictive computational simulations that are informed by companion microfluidic experiments. We identify the different dynamic behavior between individual sickle RBCs and normal ones in microfluidic flow, and analyze the hypoxia-induced alteration in individual cell behavior and single-cell capillary obstruction under physiological conditions.
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The selective cytotoxicity of DSF-Cu attributes to the biomechanical properties and cytoskeleton rearrangements in the normal and cancerous nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 84:96-108. [PMID: 28111334 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cancer initiation and progression follow complex changes of cellular architecture and biomechanical property. Cancer cells with more submissive (or "softer") than their healthy counterparts attributed to the reorganization of the complex cytoskeleton structure, may be considered as a potential anti-tumor therapeutic target. In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was carried out to detect the topographical and biophysical changes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2Z cells and normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells NP69-SV40T by treating the Disulfiram chelated with Cu2+ (DSF-Cu). DSF-Cu induced the apoptotic population, ROS production and decreased the NF-κB-p65 expression of CNE-2Z cells, which was much higher than those of NP69-SV40T cells. DSF-Cu caused the obvious changes of cell morphology and membrane ultrastructure in CNE-2Z cells. The roughness decreased and stiffness increased significantly in CNE-2Z cells, which correlated with the rearrangement of intracellular F-actin, FLNa and α-tubulin structures in CNE-2Z cells. And the adhesion force of CNE-2Z cells was also increased accompanied with the increased E-cadherin expression. However, these results could not be observed in the NP69-SV40T cells even the concentration of DSF reached up to 400nM. Finally, the detection of cell wound scratch assay confirmed DSF-Cu could inhibit the migration of CNE-2Z cells, but no effect on NP69-SV40T cells. These findings demonstrated the selective cytotoxicity of DSF-Cu in CNE-2Z cells may attribute to the different mechanical properties and cytoskeleton rearrangement from the normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells.
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Borovjagin AV, Ogle BM, Berry JL, Zhang J. From Microscale Devices to 3D Printing: Advances in Fabrication of 3D Cardiovascular Tissues. Circ Res 2017; 120:150-165. [PMID: 28057791 PMCID: PMC5224928 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.116.308538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Current strategies for engineering cardiovascular cells and tissues have yielded a variety of sophisticated tools for studying disease mechanisms, for development of drug therapies, and for fabrication of tissue equivalents that may have application in future clinical use. These efforts are motivated by the need to extend traditional 2-dimensional (2D) cell culture systems into 3D to more accurately replicate in vivo cell and tissue function of cardiovascular structures. Developments in microscale devices and bioprinted 3D tissues are beginning to supplant traditional 2D cell cultures and preclinical animal studies that have historically been the standard for drug and tissue development. These new approaches lend themselves to patient-specific diagnostics, therapeutics, and tissue regeneration. The emergence of these technologies also carries technical challenges to be met before traditional cell culture and animal testing become obsolete. Successful development and validation of 3D human tissue constructs will provide powerful new paradigms for more cost effective and timely translation of cardiovascular tissue equivalents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton V Borovjagin
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Engineering, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (A.V.B., J.L.B., J.Z.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (B.M.O.)
| | - Brenda M Ogle
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Engineering, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (A.V.B., J.L.B., J.Z.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (B.M.O.)
| | - Joel L Berry
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Engineering, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (A.V.B., J.L.B., J.Z.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (B.M.O.)
| | - Jianyi Zhang
- From the Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, School of Engineering, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (A.V.B., J.L.B., J.Z.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (B.M.O.).
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Abstract
The transport of suspensions of microparticles in confined environments is associated with complex phenomena at the interface of fluid mechanics and soft matter. Indeed, the deposition and assembly of particles under flow involve hydrodynamic, steric and colloidal forces, and can lead to the clogging of microchannels. The formation of clogs dramatically alters the performance of both natural and engineered systems, effectively limiting the use of microfluidic technology. While the fouling of porous filters has been studied at the macroscopic level, it is only recently that the formation of clogs has been considered at the pore-scale, using microfluidic devices. In this review, we present the clogging mechanisms recently reported for suspension flows of colloidal particles and for biofluids in microfluidic channels, including sieving, bridging and aggregation of particles. We discuss the technological implications of the clogging of microchannels and the schemes that leverage the formation of clogs. We finally consider some of the outstanding challenges involving clogging in human health, which could be tackled with microfluidic methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Dressaire
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
| | - Alban Sauret
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA. and Surface du Verre et Interfaces, UMR 125 CNRS/Saint-Gobain, 93303 Aubervilliers, France
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