Quantifying orientational regeneration of injured neurons by natural product concentration gradients in a 3D microfluidic device

Regeneration of injured neurons in complicated three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments is a key approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Microfluidics provides a versatile tool to recapitulate cellular microenvironments in vitro , but it still remains a big challenge to construct a microfl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Lab on a chip 2018-01, Vol.18 (6), p.971-978
Main Authors: Tang, Yun, Qiu, Quan-Fa, Zhang, Fu-Li, Xie, Min, Huang, Wei-Hua
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Central nervous system
Channels
Concentration gradient
Hydrogels
Injuries
Injury analysis
Microfluidic devices
Microfluidics
Neurological diseases
Neurons
Quantitative analysis
Regeneration
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Regeneration of injured neurons in complicated three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments is a key approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Microfluidics provides a versatile tool to recapitulate cellular microenvironments in vitro , but it still remains a big challenge to construct a microfluidic platform incorporating extracellular matrix (ECM) structures and highly controlled 3D gradients of soluble factors to study the regeneration of injured neurons. In this work, we developed a microfluidic device which can provide multiple adjustable gradients in a 3D ECM to investigate the regeneration of injured central nervous system (CNS) neurons in response to natural small molecules. With interconnecting but independently controlled central channels, asymmetrically designed side channels and a series of microgrooves connecting the central channels, spatially and temporally controlled 3D biochemical gradients can be generated inside collagen hydrogel in the central channels. This allows quantitative analysis of guided axon growth and the orientational regeneration of injured dopaminergic neurons by 3D chemical gradients of three natural molecules. This study demonstrates a promising microfluidic platform for the generation of highly controlled 3D biochemical gradients in an ECM to quantitatively study neuronal responses, thereby potentially facilitating drug screening and optimization of treatment protocols for neurodegenerative diseases. We developed a microfluidic device which can provide multiple adjustable gradients in a 3D extracellular matrix to investigate regeneration of injured central nervous system neurons in response to natural small molecules.
ISSN:1473-0197
1473-0189
DOI:10.1039/c7lc01143a