Blood vessel-on-a-chip examines biomechanics of microvasculature

Published

November 15, 2021

Author(s)

Paul Salipante, Steven D. Hudson, Styliani Alimperti

Abstract

We use a three-dimensional (3D) microvascular platform to measure the elasticity and membrane permeability of the endothelial cell layer. The microfluidic platform is connected with a pneumatic pressure controller to apply hydrostatic pressure. The deformation is measured by tracking the mean vessel diameter under varying pressures up to 300 Pa. We obtain a value for the Young's modulus of the cell layer in low strain where a linear elastic response is observed and use a hyperelastic model that describes the strain hardening observed at larger strains (pressure). A fluorescent dye is used to track the flow through the cell layer to determine the membrane flow resistance as a function of applied pressure. Finally, we track the 3D positions of cell nuclei while the vessel is pressurized to observe local deformation and correlate inter-cell deformation with the local structure of the cell layer. This approach is able to probe the mechanical properties of blood vessels in vitro and provides a methodology for investigating microvascular related diseases.

Citation

Soft Matter

Volume

18

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SM01312B

Local Download

Keywords

Blood Vessel, Biomechanics, Elasticity, Microfluidics

Citation

Salipante, P. , Hudson, S. and Alimperti, S. (2021), Blood vessel-on-a-chip examines biomechanics of microvasculature, Soft Matter, [online], https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SM01312B , https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=933119 (Accessed October 13, 2025)