Issue 16, 2021

Microfluidic chip grafted with integrin tension sensors for evaluating the effects of flowing shear stress and ROCK inhibitor on platelets

Abstract

Integrins are key players in platelet adhesion and aggregation. Integrin molecular tensions, the forces transmitted by integrin molecules, are regulated by both mechanical and biochemical cues, and the outside-in and inside-out signaling has been extensively studied. While the mechanical properties of platelets at static status have been studied by atomic force microscopy, traction force microscopy and tension sensors, the biomechanical properties of flowing platelets remain elusive. Herein, we report microfluidic chips grafted with integrin tension sensors for microfluidic-force mapping in platelets. Specifically, the process of integrin αIIbβ3 mediating tension transmission and platelet adhesion under low flow rates has been obtained, and the process of platelet clustering at post-stenotic regions has been demonstrated. We found that flowing shear force can postpone the integrin-mediated tension transmission and platelet adhesion. We further evaluated the effect of Y-27632, a ROCK inhibitor that has been proven to reduce integrin-mediated platelet adhesion, at a series of concentrations and demonstrated that microfluidic chips with integrin tension sensors are sensitive to the concentration-dependent effects of Y-27632. Given their low cost and scalable throughput, these chips are ideal technical platforms for biological studies of platelets at flowing status and for platelet inhibitor or potential antiplatelet drug screening.

Graphical abstract: Microfluidic chip grafted with integrin tension sensors for evaluating the effects of flowing shear stress and ROCK inhibitor on platelets

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Marts 2021
Accepted
17 Jūn. 2021
First published
21 Jūn. 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Lab Chip, 2021,21, 3128-3136

Microfluidic chip grafted with integrin tension sensors for evaluating the effects of flowing shear stress and ROCK inhibitor on platelets

S. Mao, A. Sarkar, Y. Wang, C. Song, D. LeVine, X. Wang and L. Que, Lab Chip, 2021, 21, 3128 DOI: 10.1039/D1LC00259G

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