Journal Article

Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) with Microelectrode Arrays for Investigation of Cancer Cell – Fibroblasts Interaction

Tran, Trong Binh, Baek, Changyoon, Min, Junhong

2016

Overview

The tumor microenvironment, including stromal cells, surrounding blood vessels and extracellular matrix components, has been defined as a crucial factor that influences the proliferation, drug-resistance, invasion and metastasis of malignant epithelial cells. Among other factors, the communications and interaction between cancer cells and stromal cells have been reported to play pivotal roles in cancer promotion and progression. To investigate these relationships, an on-chip co-culture model was developed to study the cellular interaction between A549-human lung carcinoma cells and MRC-5-human lung epithelial cells in both normal proliferation and treatment conditions. In brief, a co-culture device consisting of 2 individual fluidic chambers in parallel, which were separated by a 100 μm fence was utilized for cell patterning. Microelectrodes arrays were installed within each chamber including electrodes at various distances away from the confrontation line for the electrochemical impedimetric sensing assessment of cell-to-cell influence. After the fence was removed and cell-to-cell contact occurred, by evaluating the impedance signal responses representing cell condition and behavior, both direct and indirect cell-to-cell interactions through conditioned media were investigated. The impact of specific distances that lead to different influences of fibroblast cells on cancer cells in the co-culture environment was also defined.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Analysis / Apoptosis / Biology and Life Sciences / Biosensing Techniques - methods / Blood vessels / Breast cancer / Cancer / Cancer cells / Cell Communication / Cell culture / Cell growth / Cell interactions / Cell proliferation / Cell Tracking / Cells, Cultured / Coculture Techniques / Conditioning / Culture Media, Conditioned / Cytotoxicity / development / Development and progression / Drug resistance / Electric contacts / Electric Impedance / Electrochemistry / Electrodes / Engineering and Technology / Epithelial cells / Extracellular matrix / Fibroblasts / Fibroblasts - pathology / Flow Cytometry / Genetic aspects / Growth factors / Humans / Impedance / Investigations / Lung cancer / Lung carcinoma / Lung Neoplasms - pathology / Medicine and Health Sciences / Metastases / Metastasis / Microchip Analytical Procedures - methods / Microelectrodes / Monitoring, Physiologic / Motility / Pattern formation / Regulation / Research and Analysis Methods / Stem cells / Stromal cells / Stromal Cells - pathology / Substrates / Tumor Microenvironment / Tumorigenesis