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Mancinelli E, Zushi N, Takuma M, Cheng Chau CC, Parpas G, Fujie T, Pensabene V. Porous Polymeric Nanofilms for Recreating the Basement Membrane in an Endothelial Barrier-on-Chip. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024; 16:13006-13017. [PMID: 38414331 PMCID: PMC10941076 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Organs-on-chips (OoCs) support an organotypic human cell culture in vitro. Precise representation of basement membranes (BMs) is critical for mimicking physiological functions of tissue interfaces. Artificial membranes in polyester (PES) and polycarbonate (PC) commonly used in in vitro models and OoCs do not replicate the characteristics of the natural BMs, such as submicrometric thickness, selective permeability, and elasticity. This study introduces porous poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) nanofilms for replicating BMs in in vitro models and demonstrates their integration into microfluidic chips. Using roll-to-roll gravure coating and polymer phase separation, we fabricated transparent ∼200 nm thick PDLLA films. These nanofilms are 60 times thinner and 27 times more elastic than PES membranes and show uniformly distributed pores of controlled diameter (0.4 to 1.6 μm), which favor cell compartmentalization and exchange of large water-soluble molecules. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on PDLLA nanofilms stretched across microchannels exhibited 97% viability, enhanced adhesion, and a higher proliferation rate compared to their performance on PES membranes and glass substrates. After 5 days of culture, HUVECs formed a functional barrier on suspended PDLLA nanofilms, confirmed by a more than 10-fold increase in transendothelial electrical resistance and blocked 150 kDa dextran diffusion. When integrated between two microfluidic channels and exposed to physiological shear stress, despite their ultrathin thickness, PDLLA nanofilms upheld their integrity and efficiently maintained separation of the channels. The successful formation of an adherent endothelium and the coculture of HUVECs and human astrocytes on either side of the suspended nanofilm validate it as an artificial BM for OoCs. Its submicrometric thickness guarantees intimate contact, a key feature to mimic the blood-brain barrier and to study paracrine signaling between the two cell types. In summary, porous PDLLA nanofilms hold the potential for improving the accuracy and physiological relevance of the OoC as in vitro models and drug discovery tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Mancinelli
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Nanami Zushi
- School
of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute
of Technology, B-50, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Megumi Takuma
- School
of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute
of Technology, B-50, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Chalmers Chi Cheng Chau
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- School
of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Astbury Centre for Structural
Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - George Parpas
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Leeds
Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United
Kingdom
| | - Toshinori Fujie
- School
of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute
of Technology, B-50, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
- Living Systems
Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers
Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, R3-23, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
| | - Virginia Pensabene
- School
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Pollard Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Bragg
Centre for Materials Research, University
of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Faculty
of Medicine and Health, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St
James’s University Hospital, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
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