%0 Journal Article
%T Intervertebral Disc-on-a-ChipMF: A New Model for Mouse Disc Culture via Integrating Mechanical Loading and Dynamic Media Flow.
%A Xie W
%A Xing Y
%A Xiao L
%A Zhang P
%A Oh R
%A Zhang Y
%A Yu X
%A He Y
%A Oh EG
%A Cao R
%A Ramasubramanian MK
%A Wang Y
%A Jin L
%A Oberhozler J
%A Li X
%J Adv Mater Technol
%V 8
%N 21
%D 2023 Nov 10
%M 39130370
暂无%R 10.1002/admt.202300606
%X This study aims to develop an ex vivo organ-on-a-chip model, intervertebral Disc-on-a-ChipMF, to investigate integrated effects of mechanical loading and nutrition on disc health. The system consists of a detachable multilayer microfluidic chip, a Computer-Arduino-based control system, and a mechanical loading unit, which were optimized for accurate axial force measurement and the maintenance of a 21-day ex vivo disc culture. To ensure accuracy of axial force, we optimized the axial mechanical loading regimen, used the Computer-Arduino-based system and low-profile force sensors (LPFS) to control the mechanical loading unit, and modeled the force distribution by using computational simulation. A 21-day ex vivo disc culture was demonstrated using the Disc-on-a-ChipMF system, with optimized mechanical loading (0.02 MPa at 1Hz, 1.5 hr/day) and flow rate (1 μL/min). The structural integrity, collagen breakdown, catabolic enzyme activities, and disc cell and collagen alignment revealed that the on-chip cultured discs exhibited a preferred disc health similar to that of native discs for up to 21 days, while discs in a static culture showed detrimental degenerative changes. The mouse Disc-on-a-ChipMF system mimics in vivo disc microenvironment and provides a valuable platform for studying the effects of various factors on disc health and degeneration and testing new therapies.