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Crowell LL, Yakisich JS, Aufderheide B, Adams TNG. Phenotypic Characterization of 2D and 3D Prostate Cancer Cell Systems Using Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy. Biosensors (Basel) 2023; 13:1036. [PMID: 38131796 PMCID: PMC10742279 DOI: 10.3390/bios13121036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death in men. A challenge in treating prostate cancer is overcoming cell plasticity, which links cell phenotype changes and chemoresistance. In this work, a microfluidic device coupled with electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), an electrode-based cell characterization technique, was used to study the electrical characteristics of phenotype changes for (1) prostate cancer cell lines (PC3, DU145, and LNCaP cells), (2) cells grown in 2D monolayer and 3D suspension cell culture conditions, and (3) cells in the presence (or absence) of the anti-cancer drug nigericin. To validate observations of phenotypic change, we measured the gene expression of two epithelial markers, E-cadherin (CDH1) and Tight Junction Protein 1 (ZO-1). Our results showed that PC3, DU145, and LNCaP cells were discernible with EIS. Secondly, moderate phenotype changes based on differences in cell culture conditions were detected with EIS and supported by the gene expression of CDH1. Lastly, we showed that EIS can detect chemoresistant-related cell phenotypes with nigericin drug treatment. EIS is a promising label-free tool for detecting cell phenotype changes associated with chemoresistance. Further development will enable the detection and characterization of many other types of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexi L. Crowell
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Juan Sebastian Yakisich
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, USA;
| | - Brian Aufderheide
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, USA;
| | - Tayloria N. G. Adams
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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Lacy KL, Salib S, Tran M, Tsai T, Valentine R, Ardoña HAM, Adams TNG. Light-Induced Dielectrophoresis for Characterizing the Electrical Behavior of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. J Vis Exp 2023. [PMID: 37395572 DOI: 10.3791/64909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) offer a patient-derived cell source for conducting mechanistic studies of diseases or for several therapeutic applications. Understanding hMSC properties, such as their electrical behavior at various maturation stages, has become more important in recent years. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a method that can manipulate cells in a nonuniform electric field, through which information can be obtained about the electrical properties of the cells, such as the cell membrane capacitance and permittivity. Traditional modes of DEP use metal electrodes, such as three-dimensional electrodes, to characterize the response of cells to DEP. In this paper, we present a microfluidic device built with a photoconductive layer capable of manipulating cells through light projections that act as in situ virtual electrodes with readily conformable geometries. A protocol is presented here that demonstrates this phenomenon, called light-induced DEP (LiDEP), for characterizing hMSCs. We show that LiDEP-induced cell responses, measured as cell velocities, can be optimized by varying parameters such as the input voltage, the wavelength ranges of the light projections, and the intensity of the light source. In the future, we envision that this platform could pave the way for technologies that are label-free and perform real-time characterization of heterogeneous populations of hMSCs or other stem cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiara L Lacy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine
| | - Samuel Salib
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine
| | - Mary Tran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine
| | - Tunglin Tsai
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine
| | - Rominna Valentine
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine
| | - Herdeline Ann M Ardoña
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine; Department of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, University of California, Irvine; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine
| | - Tayloria N G Adams
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine;
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Crowell LL, Yakisich JS, Aufderheide B, Adams TNG. Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy for Monitoring Chemoresistance of Cancer Cells. Micromachines (Basel) 2020; 11:E832. [PMID: 32878225 PMCID: PMC7570252 DOI: 10.3390/mi11090832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an electrokinetic method that allows for the characterization of intrinsic dielectric properties of cells. EIS has emerged in the last decade as a promising method for the characterization of cancerous cells, providing information on inductance, capacitance, and impedance of cells. The individual cell behavior can be quantified using its characteristic phase angle, amplitude, and frequency measurements obtained by fitting the input frequency-dependent cellular response to a resistor-capacitor circuit model. These electrical properties will provide important information about unique biomarkers related to the behavior of these cancerous cells, especially monitoring their chemoresistivity and sensitivity to chemotherapeutics. There are currently few methods to assess drug resistant cancer cells, and therefore it is difficult to identify and eliminate drug-resistant cancer cells found in static and metastatic tumors. Establishing techniques for the real-time monitoring of changes in cancer cell phenotypes is, therefore, important for understanding cancer cell dynamics and their plastic properties. EIS can be used to monitor these changes. In this review, we will cover the theory behind EIS, other impedance techniques, and how EIS can be used to monitor cell behavior and phenotype changes within cancerous cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexi L. Crowell
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
- Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Juan S. Yakisich
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, USA;
| | - Brian Aufderheide
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668, USA;
| | - Tayloria N. G. Adams
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA;
- Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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Adams TNG, Jiang AYL, Mendoza NS, Ro CC, Lee DH, Lee AP, Flanagan LA. Label-free enrichment of fate-biased human neural stem and progenitor cells. Biosens Bioelectron 2020; 152:111982. [PMID: 32056730 PMCID: PMC8860404 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.111982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Human neural stem and progenitor cells (hNSPCs) have therapeutic potential to treat neural diseases and injuries since they provide neuroprotection and differentiate into astrocytes, neurons, and oligodendrocytes. However, cultures of hNSPCs are heterogeneous, containing cells linked to distinct differentiated cell fates. HNSPCs that differentiate into astrocytes are of interest for specific neurological diseases, creating a need for approaches that can detect and isolate these cells. Astrocyte-biased hNSPCs differ from other cell types in electrophysiological properties, namely membrane capacitance, and we hypothesized that this could be used to enrich these cells using dielectrophoresis (DEP). We implemented a two-step DEP sorting scheme, consisting of analysis to define the optimal sorting frequency followed by separation of cells at that frequency, to test whether astrocyte-biased cells could be separated from the other cell types present in hNSPC cultures. We developed a novel device that increased sorting reproducibility and provided both enriched and depleted cell populations in a single sort. Astrocyte-biased cells were successfully enriched from hNSPC cultures by DEP sorting, making this the first study to use electrophysiological properties for label-free enrichment of human astrocyte-biased cells. Enriched astrocyte-biased human cells enable future experiments to determine the specific properties of these important cells and test their therapeutic efficacy in animal models of neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayloria N G Adams
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-2580, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-6750, USA; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1705, USA.
| | - Alan Y L Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-2627, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-6750, USA; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1705, USA
| | - Nicolo S Mendoza
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-6750, USA; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1705, USA
| | - Clarissa C Ro
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-6750, USA; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1705, USA
| | - Do-Hyun Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-2627, USA
| | - Abraham P Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-2627, USA
| | - Lisa A Flanagan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-2627, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-6750, USA; Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1705, USA; Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697-4291, USA.
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Jiang AYL, Yale AR, Aghaamoo M, Lee DH, Lee AP, Adams TNG, Flanagan LA. High-throughput continuous dielectrophoretic separation of neural stem cells. Biomicrofluidics 2019; 13:064111. [PMID: 31737160 PMCID: PMC6853802 DOI: 10.1063/1.5128797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
We created an integrated microfluidic cell separation system that incorporates hydrophoresis and dielectrophoresis modules to facilitate high-throughput continuous cell separation. The hydrophoresis module consists of a serpentine channel with ridges and trenches to generate a diverging fluid flow that focuses cells into two streams along the channel edges. The dielectrophoresis module is composed of a chevron-shaped electrode array. Separation in the dielectrophoresis module is driven by inherent cell electrophysiological properties and does not require cell-type-specific labels. The chevron shape of the electrode array couples with fluid flow in the channel to enable continuous sorting of cells to increase throughput. We tested the new system with mouse neural stem cells since their electrophysiological properties reflect their differentiation capacity (e.g., whether they will differentiate into astrocytes or neurons). The goal of our experiments was to enrich astrocyte-biased cells. Sorting parameters were optimized for each batch of neural stem cells to ensure effective and consistent separations. The continuous sorting design of the device significantly improved sorting throughput and reproducibility. Sorting yielded two cell fractions, and we found that astrocyte-biased cells were enriched in one fraction and depleted from the other. This is an advantage of the new continuous sorting device over traditional dielectrophoresis-based sorting platforms that target a subset of cells for enrichment but do not provide a corresponding depleted population. The new microfluidic dielectrophoresis cell separation system improves label-free cell sorting by increasing throughput and delivering enriched and depleted cell subpopulations in a single sort.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mohammad Aghaamoo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-2627, USA
| | - Do-Hyun Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-2627, USA
| | - Abraham P. Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-2627, USA
| | - Tayloria N. G. Adams
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed:, Tel.: (949) 824-5786 and , Tel.: (949) 824-6726
| | - Lisa A. Flanagan
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed:, Tel.: (949) 824-5786 and , Tel.: (949) 824-6726
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Adams TNG, Turner PA, Janorkar AV, Zhao F, Minerick AR. Characterizing the dielectric properties of human mesenchymal stem cells and the effects of charged elastin-like polypeptide copolymer treatment. Biomicrofluidics 2014; 8:054109. [PMID: 25332746 PMCID: PMC4191366 DOI: 10.1063/1.4895756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2014] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (HMSCS) HAVE THREE KEY PROPERTIES THAT MAKE THEM DESIRABLE FOR STEM CELL THERAPEUTICS: differentiation capacity, trophic activity, and ability to self-renew. However, current separation techniques are inefficient, time consuming, expensive, and, in some cases, alter hMSCs cellular function and viability. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) is a technique that uses alternating current electric fields to spatially separate biological cells based on the dielectric properties of their membrane and cytoplasm. This work implements the first steps toward the development of a continuous cell sorting microfluidic device by characterizing native hMSCs dielectric signatures and comparing them to hMSCs morphologically standardized with a polymer. A quadrapole Ti-Au electrode microdevice was used to observe hMSC DEP behaviors, and quantify frequency spectra and cross-over frequency of hMSCs from 0.010-35 MHz in dextrose buffer solutions (0.030 S/m and 0.10 S/m). This combined approach included a systematic parametric study to fit a core-shell model to the DEP spectra over the entire tested frequency range, adding robustness to the analysis technique. The membrane capacitance and permittivity were found to be 2.2 pF and 2.0 in 0.030 S/m and 4.5 pF and 4.1 in 0.10 S/m, respectively. Elastin-like polypeptide (ELP-) polyethyleneimine (PEI) copolymer was used to control hMSCs morphology to spheroidal cells and aggregates. Results demonstrated that ELP-PEI treatment controlled hMSCs morphology, increased experiment reproducibility, and concurrently increased hMSCs membrane permittivity to shift the cross-over frequency above 35 MHz. Therefore, ELP-PEI treatment may serve as a tool for the eventual determination of biosurface marker-dependent DEP signatures and hMSCs purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- T N G Adams
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University , Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
| | - P A Turner
- Department of Biomedical Materials Science, School of Dentistry, University of Mississippi Medical Center , Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA
| | - A V Janorkar
- Department of Biomedical Materials Science, School of Dentistry, University of Mississippi Medical Center , Jackson, Mississippi 39216, USA
| | - F Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University , Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
| | - A R Minerick
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University , Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
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Adams TNG, Leonard KM, Minerick AR. Frequency sweep rate dependence on the dielectrophoretic response of polystyrene beads and red blood cells. Biomicrofluidics 2013; 7:64114. [PMID: 24396548 PMCID: PMC3874050 DOI: 10.1063/1.4833095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Alternating current (AC) dielectrophoresis (DEP) experiments for biological particles in microdevices are typically done at a fixed frequency. Reconstructing the DEP response curve from static frequency experiments is laborious, but essential to ascertain differences in dielectric properties of biological particles. Our lab explored the concept of sweeping the frequency as a function of time to rapidly determine the DEP response curve from fewer experiments. For the purpose of determining an ideal sweep rate, homogeneous 6.08 μm polystyrene (PS) beads were used as a model system. Translatability of the sweep rate approach to ∼7 μm red blood cells (RBC) was then verified. An Au/Ti quadrapole electrode microfluidic device was used to separately subject particles and cells to 10Vpp AC electric fields at frequencies ranging from 0.010 to 2.0 MHz over sweep rates from 0.00080 to 0.17 MHz/s. PS beads exhibited negative DEP assembly over the frequencies explored due to Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarizations. Results demonstrate that frequency sweep rates must be slower than particle polarization timescales to achieve reliable incremental polarizations; sweep rates near 0.00080 MHz/s yielded DEP behaviors very consistent with static frequency DEP responses for both PS beads and RBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- T N G Adams
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
| | - K M Leonard
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
| | - A R Minerick
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA
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