Journal
BIOMICROFLUIDICS
Volume 6, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
AMER INST PHYSICS
DOI: 10.1063/1.4754599
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Funding
- National Science Foundation [CMMI-0825707, ECS-0335765]
- National Institute of Health [NS062657]
- Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn
- Directorate For Engineering [0825707] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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In this paper, we present a microfluidic chip that is capable of measuring electrical conductance through gap junction channels in a 2-dimensional cell sheet. The chip utilizes a tri-stream laminar flow to create a non-conductive sucrose gap between the two conducting solutions so that electrical current can pass across the sucrose gap only through the cells. Using the chip, we tested the effect of a gap junction inhibitor, 2-APB, on the electrical coupling of connexin 43 (Cx43) gap junction channels in NRK-49F cells. We found that 2-APB reversibly blocks the conductivity in a dose-dependent manner. The tri-stream chip further allows us to simultaneously follow the conductance changes and dye diffusion in real time. We show that 2-APB affects both conductance and diffusion, supporting the interpretation that both sets of data reflect the same gap junction activity. The chip provides a generic platform to investigate gap junction properties and to screen drugs that may inhibit or potentiate gap junction transmission. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4754599]
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