Movement of Cell Flowing Over Oblique Microgroove

Abstract

The bumping movement of the cell flowing over an oblique microgroove was analyzed in vitro. The micro flow-channel (0.05 mm high, 1 mm wide, 25 mm long) with rectangular grooves (4.5 μm deep, 0.2 mm long) was manufactured of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by micromachining technique. The angle between the main flow direction and the longitudinal axis of the groove was 45 degrees. Three groove widths (0.03 mm, 0.04 mm, and 0.05 mm) were studied. Mouse myoblasts (C2C12 cell line) were used in the test. The bulk flow velocity (0.5 mm/s < v< 3 mm/s) of the medium was controlled by the pressure difference between the inlet and outlet. The centroid of each cell was tracked in a movie recorded by the camera attached on the eyepiece of the microscope. The experimental results show that the cell changes direction when passing over the oblique groove. The magnitude of the change depends on the flow velocity of the cell and on the width of the groove. The micro flow-channel with microgrooves has potential to be applied to sorting cells.