A two-way membrane-integrated microfluidic device for evaluation of anti-inflammatory drug through immunohistochemical analysis and permeability assay of keratinocyte cell layers

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory drug on a two-way membrane-integrated microfluidic device (TMMD) is presented. Insertion of a porous membrane into a microfluidic device in a vertical direction and attachment of a cover glass to the lateral side of the microfluidic device enabled us to observe the device from two orthogonal directions. HaCaT, a human epidermal keratinocyte, was cultured in the TMMD. The localization of ZO-1, a tight junction protein, between the HaCaT cells was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. Permeability of the HaCaT cell layer increased after stimulation by potassium dichromate, whereas the pretreatment of the HaCaT by dexamethasone prior to the stimulation kept the permeability unchanged. Deoxynivalenol, an anti-inflammatory drug candidate, kept the permeability unchanged with lower concentrations compared to dexamethasone. We expect that the present TMMD is applicable to various anti-inflammatory drug candidates to evaluate their efficacy.