Microfluidics could map how nanoparticles interact with atherosclerosis

The use of an endothelialized microfluidic chip could be the key to understanding how nanoparticles in biomedicine behave in the presence of atherosclerosis, according to a study published online Jan. 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

YongTae Kim, an assistant professor of bioengineering in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and colleagues covered a microchip with endothelial cells to mimic the inside walls of atherosclerotic blood vessels. Normal vessels provide a strong barrier against permeability, but atherosclerosis can compromise and break down blood vessel tissues.

“Models to accurately predict transvascular permeation of nanomedicines are needed to aid in design optimization,” wrote Kim et al. “Here we show that an endothelialized microchip with controllable permeability can be used to probe nanoparticle translocation across an endothelial cell layer.”

For this study, scientists were able to demonstrate how nanoparticles crossed the endothelial model. Not only does this show how vulnerable atherosclerotic blood vessels are, but it could be a jumping off point for future nanomedicines geared to treat atherosclerosis.

“This approach represents a unique method for the assessment of nanoparticle behavior across the atherosclerotic endothelium, and may also serve as a valuable tool to study nanomedicine accumulation in a variety of other diseases,” the researchers wrote.