Microvasculature on a chip: study of the Endothelial Surface Layer and the flow structure of Red Blood Cells.

ABSTRACT: Microvasculatures-on-a-chip, i.e. in vitro models that mimic important features of microvessel networks, have gained increasing interest in recent years. Such devices have allowed investigating pathophysiological situations involving abnormal biophysical interactions between blood cells and vessel walls. Still, a central question remains regarding the presence, in such biomimetic systems, of the endothelial glycocalyx. The latter is a glycosaminoglycans-rich surface layer exposed to blood flow, which plays a crucial role in regulating the interactions between circulating cells and the endothelium. Here, we use confocal microscopy to characterize the layer expressed by endothelial cells cultured in microfluidic channels. We show that, under our culture conditions, endothelial cells form a c

SUBMITTER: Tsvirkun D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5364477 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature