An optical pH-sensor integrated microfluidic platform multilayered with bacterial cellulose and gelatin methacrylate to mimic drug-induced lung injury

Drug-induced lung injury leading to pulmonary fibrosis is an interstitial lung pathology destructing the architecture of lung. Although animal models have been used to understand the progression of the pathology, it is often difficult to correlate with human physiology and the readouts rely on end-point ana-lyzes. Herein, an optical pH-sensor integrated biomimetic microfluidic model was designed to simulate the drug-induced lung injury along with the cytotoxicity related acidity changes of the cell culture media. In the model, interstitial region was adopted via bacterial cellulose-based vascular membrane below the connective tissue, which was emulated with hydrogel-based gelatin-methacrylate (GelMA). During 12 days of dynamic culture, the increased levels of transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-01) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are observed confirming the real-time pH changes due to the profibrotic features. Recruitment of human leukemia monocytic (THP-1) cells caused by fatal epithelial/fibroblast cross-talk was observed as an anti-inflammatory response with the effect of cytotoxicity and profibrotic TGF-01. Moreover, decreased collagen type I secretion levels following the anti-fibrotic drug provided evidence for the model reliability.CO 2023 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.