Detaillierte Beitrags-Information
| Beitragstitel | A 3D microfluidic in vitro model of an osteoarthritic joint as a screening platform for biological therapies. |
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| Beitragscode | P115 |
| Autoren | |
| Präsentationsform | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease with an increasing incidence. Inflammation plays a key role in this pathology, but effective models to study OA pathological mechanisms and to evaluate the effects of therapeutic approaches have not yet been produced. For these reasons, we developed a 3D microfluidic model of an osteoarthritic joint to analyze both the inflammatory effect of arthritic synovial fluid (OA-SF) on articular cells and the immunomodulatory and regenerative capabilities of biological therapies. Methods We isolated and expanded articular chondrocytes, synovial fibroblasts and MSCs and harvested OA-SF from arthritic patients. The microfluidic chip comprised three communicating channels. Firstly, chondrocytes and fibroblasts were embedded in fibrin gel and injected in the two external compartments, whit OA-SF in the middle. After 4 days we replaced SF with fresh OA-SF resuspended with MSCs from bone marrow or adipose tissue. Devices were cultured for further 6 days, and then we evaluated cell viability, morphology and migration by means of Live&Dead and fluorescent track analysis. Results The majority of the chondrocytes and fibroblasts injected in the device resulted alive during the entire culture period. The addition of OA-SF in the culture system determined an increase in cell viability, especially for the fibroblast. Moreover, it induced modifications in cell morphology and spreading. We also successfully injected in the synovial compartment the MSCs resuspended in the synovial fluid, without affecting their viability. Cytofluorimetric analysis confirmed the stemness of the MSCs before the injection. Conclusions and perspectives We developed a new microfluidic model that recapitulate an arthritic joint and it has proved effective in the culture of articular cells in a 3D environment in the presence of synovial fluid, an important player in the pathology rarely used for in vitro cultures. Moreover, this device allows the injection of different biological preparations for the OA treatment and the evaluation of their immunomodulatory and regenerative capabilities, confirming its effectiveness also as a screening platform for biological therapies. |