Estimation of nitric oxide generation by endothelial cells EA.hy926 under flow-induced mechanical stress in a microfluidic system

Abstract

Endothelial cells lining vascular walls transform the flow-induced deformation of their own structures into chemical signals, one of which, nitric oxide (NO), is an important regulator of the vascular lumen diameter. By present, a large amount of data on cellular mechanisms for activation of NO production has been accumulated. However, there is insufficient information on changes in endothelial NO generation under different hydrodynamic conditions. Therefore, development of microfluidic systems that model blood vessels in vitro and using them to study the endothelium under complex hydrodynamic conditions are relevant tasks.
In this study, a microfluidic system was developed to create controlled hydrodynamic conditions for a monolayer of endotheliocyte-like cells EAhy.926. This system simulates linear sections of the microvasculature. By indirect measurement of NO (II) content with a fluorescent 4,5-diaminofluorescein (DAF-2) probe, we showed an increase in the NO production by EAhy.926 cells under mechanical stress generated by the medium flow. The article presents the method for measuring NO production and the calculated hydrodynamic characteristics of the microfluidic system. The results showed that the developed microfluidic model system is promising for studying cell-autonomous regulatory properties of the endothelium both under the action of vasoactive agents and in simulated endothelial dysfunction.