Human Stroma and Epithelium Co-culture in a Microfluidic Model of a Human Prostate Gland

Overview

Journal Biomicrofluidics

Publisher American Institute of Physics

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2019 Nov 27

PMID 31768202

Citations 13

Authors

L Jiang

F Ivich

S Tahsin

M Tran

S B Frank

C K Miranti

Y Zohar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that surrounds the urethra of males at the base of the bladder comprising a muscular portion, which controls the release of urine, and a glandular portion, which secretes fluids that nourish and protect sperms. Here, we report the development of a microfluidic-based model of a human prostate gland. The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device, consisting of two stacked microchannels separated by a polyester porous membrane, enables long-term cocultivation of human epithelial and stromal cells. The porous separation membrane provides an anchoring scaffold for long-term culturing of the two cell types on its opposite surfaces allowing paracrine signaling but not cell crossing between the two channels. The microfluidic device is transparent enabling high resolution bright-field and fluorescence imaging. Within this coculture model of a human epithelium/stroma interface, we simulated the functional development of the human prostate gland. We observed the successful differentiation of basal epithelial cells into luminal secretory cells determined biochemically by immunostaining with known differentiation biomarkers, particularly androgen receptor expression. We also observed morphological changes where glandlike mounds appeared with relatively empty centers reminiscent of prostatic glandular acini structures. This prostate-on-a-chip will facilitate the direct evaluation of paracrine and endocrine cross talk between these two cell types as well as studies associated with normal vs disease-related events such as prostate cancer.

Citing Articles

Microfluidic Applications in Prostate Cancer Research.

Szewczyk K, Jiang L, Khawaja H, Miranti C, Zohar Y Micromachines (Basel). 2024; 15(10).

PMID: 39459070 PMC: 11509716. DOI: 10.3390/mi15101195.

AR loss in prostate cancer stroma mediated by NF-κB and p38-MAPK signaling disrupts stromal morphogen production.

Tahsin S, Sane N, Cernyar B, Jiang L, Zohar Y, Lee B Oncogene. 2024; 43(27):2092-2103.

PMID: 38769192 PMC: 11702291. DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03064-7.

Microphysiological systems as models for immunologically 'cold' tumors.

Gaebler D, Hachey S, Hughes C Front Cell Dev Biol. 2024; 12:1389012.

PMID: 38711620 PMC: 11070549. DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1389012.

Microfluidic-based human prostate-cancer-on-chip.

Jiang L, Khawaja H, Tahsin S, Clarkson T, Miranti C, Zohar Y Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024; 12:1302223.

PMID: 38322789 PMC: 10844564. DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1302223.

Use and application of organ-on-a-chip platforms in cancer research.

Yu Y, Zhou T, Cao L J Cell Commun Signal. 2023; 17(4):1163-1179.

PMID: 38032444 PMC: 10713514. DOI: 10.1007/s12079-023-00790-7.

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