title: Engineering of polarized tubular structures in a microfluidic device to study calcium phosphate stone formation.
abstract: This communication describes the formation of tubular structures with a circular cross-section by growing epithelial cells in a microfluidic (MF) device. Here we show for the first time that it is possible to form a monolayer of polarized cells, embedded within the MF device which can function as an in vivo epithelia. We showed: i) the overexpression of specific protein(s) of interest (i.e., ion channel and transport proteins) is feasible inside tubular structures in MFs; ii) the functional kinetic information of Ca(2+) in cells can be measured by microflurometry using cell permeable Ca(2+) probe under confocal microscope; and iii) calcium phosphate stones can be produced in real time in MFs with Ca(2+) transporting epithelia. These data suggest that tubular structures inside this MF platform can be used as a suitable model to understand the molecular and pharmacological basis of calcium phosphate stone formation in the epithelial or other similar cellular micro environments.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Materials Science, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
authors.forename: Zengjiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Prince K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Amponsah
authors.forename: Mariyam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Shatti
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Bidhan C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bandyopadhyay
mesh_terms: D002114:Calcinosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017136:Ion Transport; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C020243:calcium phosphate